tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66775542667169061552018-03-06T05:06:20.836-08:00We're Not Really Nerds, We Swear...but we, ummm, we're gonna, uhhh, yeah, we're hosed.Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-73739856699409631822011-01-05T20:00:00.000-08:002011-01-06T11:51:20.709-08:00Tomb of Horrors - The Mosaic Hall(EDITOR'S NOTE: Now contains the original African American Vernacular English)<br /><br />Darkness. I opened my eyes, but found they were already open. For a moment, I panicked. Was I once again blind, as I had been when Berronar punished my disobedience months ago? I could not feel the warmth of Berronar’s presence in my heart; had I failed Her again in some way? Despair began to wash over me. Then I heard his voice in my head.<br /><br />[YOU COULD NOT HIDE FOREVER.]<br /><br />That voice, dripping with malice, teetering on the edge of sanity, pierced my brain like a dagger. Though I had never before heard it, I knew instantly to whom it belonged. It was my captor, the would-be god Acererak, and the pure, unadulterated evil of his speech cut through the fog in my mind and brought to me a flood of memories. I remember feeling the unmistakable call of Berronar as I left my companions in that rock-strewn field. I remember the struggle as I was taken prisoner by a band of kenku warriors. I remember being tied down as various cloaked and hooded figures experimented on me with their arcane powers. I remember Berronar guiding my living soul to the Astral Plane while Acererak’s servants tried to infect my spirit with necromancy. I remember running. And running.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Even through the Astral Plane, I was being pursued by evil, and I feared what it would mean for my fate if I were to be caught. Somehow, even as shadows appeared to drag me away, my friends appeared. Just the sight of them encouraged my heart. Dear Nementah, compassionate and courageous. Bolt, always strong in his convictions, now having given his life in service of Berronar. Bear, immensely strong and passionate. Even Arca, he of the questionable moral compass, put himself at risk in order to keep me from harm. They drove back my pursuers, and freed me from their bonds.<br /><br />After my rescue, I wandered. How long I walked through the impossible landscapes of the Planes, I do not know. It may have been minutes. It may have been years. I lost myself in the beauty around me and forgot completely about the unspeakable acts that were surely being done to my body by those godless monsters.<br /><br />Then, without warning, darkness. And that terrible voice in my head.<br /><br />[YOU WILL SERVE ME NOW, INVOKER. YOUR OLD GOD IS PITIFUL AND USELESS.]<br /><br />I prayed in silence to Berronar. Deliver me from this evil, O Wise Goddess!<br /><br />Deep laughter echoed in my head.<br /><br />[YOUR PRAYERS AVAIL YOU NOTHING.]<br /><br />You are no god, Acererak. I know your history. You have been banished before and you will be banished again. Your power is false…<br /><br />[SILENCE.] <br /><br />The word came through with such force that I struggled to retain consciousness.<br /><br />[SEE MY POWER. IT DRAWS YOUR ALLIES.]<br /><br />I saw images of my friends, along with a Halfling who I did not recognize. They were surrounded by murderous pirates as fire burned in a clearing. They were chained to tables, stripped of their armor, as a torturer prepared to do his work. They were led by a silent cloaked figure through a city of evil, surrounded by wicked men and their undead servants. They entered the gaping maw of an enormous skull.<br /><br />[THEY COME TO SAVE YOU AND DEFEAT ME. WATCH. WATCH THEM FAIL.]<br /><br />Once again I saw nothing but darkness. All of a sudden, my eyes were seared by the light of a sunrod being activated. There stood my friends at entrance of a long hallway. The hallway’s walls were decorated with all manner of scenes – some as peaceful as cows grazing in a meadow; others as twisted as slaves being whipped by demonic masters. Weaved through the mosaic of the tile floor was a message written in runes:<br /><br /><em>ACERERAK CONGRATULATES YOU ON YOUR POWERS OF OBSERVATION. SO MAKE OF THIS WHATEVER YOU WISH, FOR YOU WILL BE MINE IN THE END NO MATTER WHAT!<br /><br />Go back to the tormentor or the arch, and the second great hall you’ll discover. Shun green if you can, but night’s good color is for those of great valor. If shades of red stand for blood the wise will not need sacrifice aught but a loop of magical metal – you’re well along your march.<br /><br />Two pits along the way will be found to lead to a fortuitous fall, so check the wall. These keys and those are most important of all, and beware of trembling hands and what will maul. If you find the false, you find the true, and into the columned hall you’ll come, and there the throne that’s key and keyed.<br /><br />The iron men of visage grim do more than meets the viewer’s eye. You’ve left and left and found my Tomb and now your soul will die.</em><br /><br />“Hell, naw. That ain't ABOUT to be makin' sense.” Bolt said. “Endarius, what you think, n*****?”<br />(Translation: “What the hell does that mean?” Bolt asked. “Ender, what do you think?”)<br /><br />“I don’t know. Acererak’s got a pretty sick sense of humor, though, judging by these paintings,” the Halfling replied.<br /><br />“They’re frescoes, actually,” said Nementah casually. <br /><br />There was a pause as her companions stared at her blankly. “You know, paintings done atop plaster, usually as murals on walls or ceilings?” <br /><br />Continued blank stares. “The Chapel of Sistinius?" she tried, exasperated. “No?” Several shrugs accompanied confused expressions. Nementah sighed. “Men.”<br /><br />Bear looked concerned. “I think THIS fresca is challenging my heroics!” He was staring at the painting of cows grazing.<br /><br />“Umm, I don’t think it is. But THAT one looks interesting.” Arca pointed to a picture of a wizard’s workroom guarded by jackal-headed creatures. The hands of the creatures protruded out of the wall and held forth a real bronze chest.<br /><br />“Oooooh, treasure!” Bear stomped happily over to the chest and pried it open. “Hey! What a crock! This thing’s empty!”<br /><br />“We should probably be careful with that and look around a little bit more,” Ender said. “We have no idea what kind of traps Acererak may have laid out. I haven’t seen anything yet, but I don’t trust this place.”<br /><br />“I want to take a closer look at this fresco. There’s something…different about it.” Nementah looked closely at a life-size painting of a demon being held captive behind an wooden door. As she moved to take a closer look, the floor suddenly disappeared beneath her. The wilden shouted in surprise as she fell into a ten foot pit, cutting herself on the poisoned spikes that jutted out from its walls. <br /><br />"Nementeezy!" Bolt yelled. “You be trippin'?”<br />(Translation: “Nementah!” Bolt yelled. “Are you okay?”)<br /><br />“I’m alright. But there’s something on these spikes. It hurts badly.”<br /><br />Bear looked at Arca. “We should probably help her out,” the goliath said.<br /><br />“Yeah, yeah,” Arca looked at him impatiently. “We will. Let’s just see if there really IS something in here.” He reached his mace into the chest. As soon as it touched the bottom, they heard a loud click, and there was a split second to react before the floor again gave way, this time under the goliath’s feet. The pause gave Bear just enough time to leap out of harm’s way.<br /><br />“Wow, that was close,” Bear said, breathing a sigh of relief. He looked at the warlock who was grumbling to himself about stupid chests with no treasure. “Let’s not do that again, okay?”<br /><br />“Whatever…hey! I think there IS something down there!” Arca shouted in excitement as he looked over the edge of the pit. “I’m going to check it out.” <br /> <br />As he readied his climbing kit, Nementah climbed out of the pit and shot a glance at her companions. “Thanks for the help, guys.” <br /><br />Bear looked sheepish. “Sorry, Arca was setting off traps over here that I had to deal with.”<br /><br />The shaman rolled her eyes. “Men,” she said for the second time. “I did happen to get a really close look at that painting as I was HAULING MYSELF OUT OF THE PIT.” She said this last part loudly in the direction of Arca, who was beginning his descent into the other pit. Arca just grunted and began shimmying down the rope.<br /> <br />Nementah gave him a dirty look and then continued, “There is definitely something behind the plaster of that painting. The door in the painting looked too lifelike. That’s because I think it was painted over the top of an actual door.”<br /><br />“Interesting,” Ender commented. “Why don’t you and Bear see if you can uncover it while Bolt and I check out the rest of the hall?” The monk looked at the paladin. “Maybe I should go first?”<br /><br />“Nah, I got this.” Bolt said as he moved further down the hallway. He had taken no more than five steps further down the hall when a pit opened up beneath him, dropping him ten feet and cutting him with the same poison-tipped spikes that had hurt Nementah. From the bottom of the pit, he groaned, “Yeah, you right. I ain't be seein' SH** up in here.”<br />(Translation: “Yeah, okay, you go first next time.”)<br /><br />“Why don’t I search the rest of the hall?’ Nementah suggested. “You guys go help Bear knock down that wall. It’s what you do best.”<br /><br />Bear looked insulted. “No need! I’ve got this taken care of!” He hurled an axe against the wall and knocked away a good chunk of plaster. There seemed to be some wood underneath. Bolt clambered out of the pit and watched as two more throws from the goliath completely demolished the wall. What stood behind was a massive oaken door, reinforced with iron bands. “See?” Bear said proudly.<br /><br />“Good work!” Ender told him. “Now let’s see if we can get this open.” The Halfling nimbly darted across a ledge between two open pits and inched across to the door. He put his ear to the wood, nodded his head in satisfaction, and then went to work picking the latch. He had it open in no time. The door swung away from them to reveal an empty hallway, 20 feet long, with another similar door at the opposite end.<br /><br />Just then, Arca emerged from the floor. He casually packed up the climbing kit and put it in his pack. He looked up to find everyone staring at him.<br /><br />“What?” he asked, innocently.<br /><br />“What you be finding in that pit?" Bolt inquired.<br />(Translation: “Well? What did you find?” Bolt inquired.)<br /><br />Arca shrugged. “Oh, just a couple of gems. Nothing big. I’ll hold onto them.”<br /><br />“N**** please.”<br />(Translation: “A couple of gems?”)<br /><br />“Fine, five gems, okay? Jeez, give me a break.” <br /><br />“You about to get this Boot of Striding up in yo ass." The paladin glared at Arca.<br />(Translation: “FIVE?” The paladin glared at Arca.)<br /><br />The warlock scowled. “Eight, alright? Eight gems! I found eight.” He muttered to himself about a lack of trust.<br /><br />“That's what I THOUGHT,” Bolt said. “Now we be gettin' outta this hood.”<br /> )Translation: “Better,” Bolt said. “Now let’s get this other door open and get the hell out of this crazy frescoed hall.”<br /><br />)Nementah, who had moved further down the passage, avoiding several hidden traps as she went, called back to them. “You sure we don’t want to investigate these things down here? There’s a giant carving of a demon head and a mist-filled archway. We’re not concerned about this?”<br /><br />But Ender was already listening at the other door. Again seemingly satisfied with what he heard beyond, the halfling picked the lock without incident. Nementah’s words seemed to hang in the heavy silence as he worked the door open. The first light pierced the chamber. Simultaneously, a terrifying shriek rang out, shattering the stillness of the tomb. In the center of the room before them stood a giant, winged gargoyle, poised to strike.<br /><br />[YOU SEE THAT YOUR COMPANIONS CANNOT POSSIBLY SURVIVE.]<br /><br />My companions are stronger than you think, impostor. They will not be overcome so easily.<br /><br />The lich’s laughter again sounded in my ears as I prayed fervently for my friends. Protect them, Berronar…<br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-16065119465048989532010-01-19T10:11:00.000-08:002010-01-19T10:14:17.986-08:00Rule ClarificationsI found a few interesting rules Q&A threads recently and thought I'd share some interesting rules I found. Some I knew but appreciate the reminder, and some I had no idea. Number 56 is probably most interesting and 58 might intrigue Bear since he just discovered he has a power with a Melee reach 2 (thought whether or not it can be used when he charges is another question entirely.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />#1 - (PHB 266) The number of times that you can use any daily power granted by any magic item is limited by the PC level. You CAN use more than one magic item daily power per day at Heroic Tier. The catch? You have to reach a milestone first.<br /><br />#3 - (PHB 59) Powers with a hit that also have an effect still get the benefit of their effect even if the power misses. As the DM I didn't give some of my players the benefit from their attacks.<br /><br />#7 - (PHB 287-288) Charge is a standard action, so you can still take a move action in the same round. However, using a charge ends your turn, so you can only move before you charge. <br /><br />#12 - (PHB 295) When you subject to a healing effect that requires you to spend a healing surge and you have none left, you are restored to 1 hit point, if you were dying. <br /><br />#19 - (PHB 295) When you reduce a monster to 0 hp you get to choose if you either knock it unconscious or kill it. (i.e. instead of nonlethal damage).<br /><br />#25 - (PHB 285) You do not need to hold a weapon in order to obtain combat advantage through a flank. You can be armed or unarmed. <br /><br />#29 - (PHB 285) You can flank, and even gain combat advantage for attacks, with a ranged weapon (or any attack). You still need to be adjacent to the target (so usually making the ranged or area attack would provoke), but still useful to know if there is something you really, really need CA for with a ranged or area attack.<br /><br />#33 - (PHB 294) Temporary hit points don't stack. <br /><br />#34 - (PHB 268) You can only use an Immediate Interrupt or Reaction once per Round, not both. <br /><br />#39 - (PHB 290) You don't move into your opponent's square when you grab. Even if you're a stirge. In fact, I don't think you ever share a square with an opponent any more for any reason. Gelatinous Cube and Shambling Mound is one exception to this.<br /><br />#56 - (PHB 295) You can only fail 3 Death Saving Throws TOTAL between short (or extended) rests. So if you go down, fail 2, get back up, go down again, and fail 1, you are D-E-D, dead.<br /><br />#58 - (PHB 287)(Number your rules, demmit) With a reach weapon, you can make a charge attack and do NOT have to end the move adjacent to the charged enemy. "You must move at least 2 squares from your starting position, and must move directly to the nearest square FROM WHICH YOU CAN ATTACK YOUR ENEMY. You can't charge if the nearest square is occupied. Moving over difficult terrain costs extra squares of movement as normal."<br /><br />How does Intimidation work? Ask your DM. The most common interpretation is that during combat you can force a bloodied target to surrender (i.e. no longer participate in the current battle), or an unbloodied opponent to take some other action. Either way they will likely have a +10 modifier to their will for being hostile. Discussed <a href="http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19902462/Intimidate_errata">here</a>.<br /><br />Can you Teleportation from the prone position to an upright position? Teleportation does not remove the prone condition. However your DM might allow you to teleport into the air above the ground in order to use acrobatics to land on your feet. Discussed <a href="http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19903886/Teleportation_and_prone">here</a>.<br /><br />What path must you take when charging? Ask your DM. The rules merely say "directly". Although in 3.5 "directly" meant "straight line" in regard to charging, no similar context is mentioned in 4e. Some DM’s using a variation of the 'pull' rules, others trace line of effect, etc. Discussed <a href="http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19686174/Clarify_Charging?post_id=334797778#334797778">here</a>.<br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-51142725992016667412009-12-22T00:45:00.000-08:002009-12-22T15:31:34.674-08:00Where all the white dragons at?“There’s one born every minute,” Gardmore chuckled to himself as he waited at the edge of the road in the fringes of the pine forest. “Or five, in this case.” For the past ten minutes, his sharp hearing had been able to pick up the sound of travelers making their way toward him. They were close enough now that he could listen to their conversation without difficulty. And the sound was music to his ears.<br /><br />“For the last time, I did what I had to do!” came a gravelly voice in obvious consternation. “I’ll admit that things got out of hand, but we saved that girl, and no one got hurt, right?”<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />“No doubt, ‘cept for the horse that we had to sell to the glue factory...” replied another voice, this one dripping with sarcasm. By the dialect, it sounded to Gardmore like a citizen of the Southern kingdoms, and judging from the lack of expletives used, possibly a member of the nobility. Interesting.<br /><br />A woman’s sigh like the wind whispering through the trees echoed off the rock wall across the road from Gardmore. “You speak as if the horse didn’t even matter. Sometimes I wonder whether you people respect our natural world at all.” Gardmore couldn’t quite place the tenor of this one, but he suspected by the tone that it might be one of these “wilden” he had been hearing about lately – trees that had taken on a somewhat human form and were now walking amongst the races. Gardmore shook his head. What would the gods think of next?<br /><br />“Hey, if we hadn’t pushed that horse, we wouldn’t have made it in time to save you and Zorab!” the gravelly voice retorted. “You should be grateful the horse died for a good cause!” <br /><br />“Nementah and I had things quite under control. By Berronar’s grace we had defeated several of the brigands already. Certainly we could have maintained our tactical advantage had you been several minutes later in arriving.” Reference to a god, stoic, virtually emotionless, high-handed sense of justice, unwavering self-confidence – clearly a deva. Gardmore smiled to himself. Devas were generally straight-forward, honest creatures that couldn't barter their way out of a paper bag. That would come in handy during negotiations.<br /><br />“Horsey rides are fun!” the fifth voice boomed. This last was the most concerning for Gardmore. He could negotiate with intelligent beings (although he certainly preferred dealing with dumb ones, when he could find them), but he knew most adventuring parties came with muscle, and muscle was not his area of expertise. Gardmore sighed and looked disdainfully down at his round belly and short, stubby legs. No, muscle was not something he could contend with.<br /><br />He had been a traveling salesman most of his life; unfortunately, bad luck and some bad business deals (with some rather unsavory characters) had forced him to wander. This deep, powerful voice reminded him of his younger days when he was selling re-inforced steel cages to slavers. One of his prospective clients was keeping an incredibly large, tattooed man captive to use in gladiatorial battles. The client had referred to his prize fighter as a “goliath,” and noted that members of that race possessed strength and prowess in battle that was unmatched by other civilized races. “Yes,” Gardmore thought, “I’m going to have to tread carefully with this one.”<br /><br />The booming voice continued, although now in a melancholy tone, “I’m still sad they wouldn’t let us back into town. I could have used another beer.”<br /><br />“The easiest solution to that problem is to avoid theft in our future endeavors,” replied the deva with the slightest hint of exasperation. “It takes a significant act of crime to get us exiled from a place even though we captured a local villain, saved a respected member of the community, and reimbursed the cart vendor for damaged property.”<br /><br />“Hey,” interrupted Gravelly Voice, ‘if we had a bit more gold, I could have BOUGHT the cart instead of being forced to steal it. It’s not my fault!”<br /><br />As the conversation devolved into an argument over the group’s economic status, Gardmore stepped into the middle of the road. “This might be easier than I thought,” he mused happily. "Traveling adventuring party that needs money, wants to do the right thing, and has no experience in negotiating business deals. Gardmore, it's your lucky day!" He rubbed his hands together greedily.<br /><br />Within a minute, the group came into view as they rounded a bend. The stocky man silently prided himself on his preliminary evaluation. Leading the group was a behemoth of a man, bearing tattoos and other markings that identified him as a goliath. Next walked a dark-skinned paladin, bearing a seal of Kord and carrying himself as one who has been formally trained and taught in the manner of the aristocracy. Behind him were the deva and wilden. Lastly, to Gardmore’s surprise, was the owner of the gravelly voice, a strikingly beautiful sorceress clad in vermilion robes. Gardmore made a mental note to quit smoking so much pipeweed – apparently it could wreak havoc on one’s vocal cords.<br /><br />Gathering himself, Gardmore moved briskly, confidently forward. It was show time.<br /><br />When he was within 15 yards of the group, he hailed them. “Worthy adventurers! Surely it is the gods’ will that happenstance brings us to this meeting! I have been hoping and praying for a random encounter such as this!”<br /><br />The goliath became alarmed. “Random encounter!!!” he shouted, looking around frantically. “Are there orcs? Goblins? Gnolls? Bandits? Thieves? Outlaws? Kobolds? Zombies? Ghouls? Doppelgangers? Stone giants? Displacer beasts? Mind flayers? Flesh golems? Succubuseseses…?” With the last, he collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. There was a moment of confused silence as Gardmore and the adventurers stared at the giant. Finally the paladin turned to the salesman and cleared his throat.<br /><br />“What’s your story, little man?" he asked. "We’ve got places to be, so you’d best make it quick.”<br /><br />Gardmore blinked several times and finally tore his eyes from the panting goliath, still lying terrified on the ground in front of him. “Umm, story, yes…my story!” He quickly regained his composure. “As I was saying, I have been looking for a band of adventurers. I have met several such parties, but none met the standards necessary to satisfy me. You, however, appear to be of, uhh, the highest caliber!” He glanced at the goliath again as he said this. “I have a proposal for you – it’s a business proposition that I think you will find to your liking.”<br /><br />At this, the deva stepped forward. “I do not believe we are interested. We have pressing matters to attend to. There are innocent men and women suffering in the bonds of slavery. Families and communities are being torn apart. It is disturbing that you stand here looking to make a profit while this goes on…”<br /><br />Oh brother. Gardmore inwardly rolled his eyes as the paladin tried to quiet the deva. If he was forced to listen to this holier-than-thou drivel, he was going to up the price.<br /><br />The scarlet-enrobed woman moved forward and eyed Gardmore appraisingly, “Who’s to say we’re of such high caliber? We might find it more profitable just to, ahem, give you OUR business right now.” The woman backed off when the paladin shot a withering glance in her direction, but he looked skeptical when he turned back to Gardmore. Gardmore also noticed that the goliath, his face showing no hint of his previous terror, had risen to his feet, and was drumming his fingers calmly on the head of his massive warhammer. Things were not going as smoothly as the salesman had hoped.<br /><br />“Look, shorty, we’re busy people," the dark-skinned man said. "Slaves to free, bad guys to kill, world records to re-take. There’s only so many hours. So give us your proposition, and we’ll see if it’s worth our time.” <br /><br />Gardmore took a deep breath. “Here’s the deal. I have been doing significant traveling in the area and have come across some valuable information. For a sum (we’ll call it a “finder’s fee”), I will give you this information. Trust me when I say that this will turn out to be a very profitable venture for you.”<br /><br />The deva’s opened his mouth as if to offer more righteous indignation, but the paladin shushed him. He turned to Gardmore, “How much you want?”<br /><br />“50 gold,” replied Gardmore.<br /><br />“50 gold!” exclaimed the goliath as he brandished his warhammer and stared menacingly down at the man. “How about I kill you instead?”<br /><br />It was all Gardmore could do to keep his trousers dry. He took an involuntary step backward, but tried to look as brave as possible in the face of a 7 and a half foot, muscle-bound fighting machine. Suddenly, the goliath begain to laugh hysterically. “Got you on that one! Ha!”<br /><br />The sorceress put her arm around him. “Don’t worry, it’s just goliath humor. You get used to it after awhile,” she said in her disturbingly man-like voice. How could such a great looking woman sound so ugly? He briefly considered asking her if she was available for dinner later, but drove the thought from his head. He needed to remain focused. Thankfully, she asked the question he had been waiting to hear, “So you mentioned profit? How much profit?”<br /><br />That was more like it! He was back in business. “Well,” Gardmore started, giving her a confident smile, “it will be significant. But as I’ve gone through much to obtain this information, I require payment before I reveal it. 50 gold is my price.”<br /><br />The paladin asked for a moment to confer with his companions. Gardmore looked on with some amusement at their debate. The deva did not appear happy with the proposal, but the goliath and the sorceress seemed to enjoy the prospects of income. The wilden simply shrugged. Finally, the paladin returned.<br /><br />“Here’s the deal, pint-size. We give you 25 gold now. You give us the information, then we give you the other 25 gold. That’s the way it is. Take it or find yourself some other adventurers.”<br /><br />Gardmore frowned. This wasn’t exactly ideal, but he didn’t have much other choice. One previous group had already gotten themselves killed (the salesman was lucky to have made it out of THAT mess with his skin intact), and there just weren’t many qualified adventuring parties for hire in this region. He reluctantly agreed to the deal, took his payment from the goliath, and revealed the promised information.<br /><br />“For the past several days, there has been a young white dragon raiding a nearby village. It seems that the dragon isn’t overly interested in the townspeople, but rather occupies himself daily with digging up graves from the local cemetery and carrying off dead bodies. It is rumored that the dragon is working with or for some sort of necromancer, which would explain the need for corpses, although this isn’t confirmed. Of course, the dragon has had no qualms about devouring any of the villagers who try to resist, and also has helped itself to any valuables found in the graves.”<br /><br />“Grave robbing! I like this dragon’s style!” the sorceress chimed in. She was met with stern looks from both the deva and the wilden.<br /><br />“Anyway,” Gardmore continued, “the villagers are so frightened that most haven’t left their homes for the past three days. They need help.”<br /><br />“Dragons and their evil, murderous ways!” the deva spat. “This creature must be brought to justice! Lead us to this town and we will take care of it.”<br /><br />“Whoa whoa whoa there, Zorab,” the paladin said as he raised his hands. “Our boy here promised ‘significant profit.’ Let’s hear that part of the story before we get all justice-y on some dragon’s scaly rear end.”<br /><br />Gardmore gave them a confident smile and continued. “As I’m sure you seasoned travelers well know, even the youngest dragons keep a hoard of treasure. I have been fortunate enough to obtain knowledge of the whereabouts of this hoard. Were you noble warriors to slay the dragon, it would be ours for the taking.”<br /><br />“I’m sold!” the sorceress replied. “When do we start?” The goliath grunted happily in agreement. <br /><br />But the paladin once again proved to be a bit more skilled in these sorts of negotiations and interrupted his mates. “You said ‘ours for the taking.’ I’m sure you meant to say ‘yours,’ seeing as how me and my friends here would be putting our butts on the line while you sit on the sidelines and watch.”<br /><br />The paladin wanted to play hardball. That was fine with Gardmore, who knew how these things worked. He wouldn’t let an opportunity to make some good cash slip away. He decided to start high. “Well, seeing as how I’m the one with all of the intelligence, I think it’s only fair that I get 50% of the take.”<br /><br />That brought several reactions from the group, including derisive laughter from the paladin, and another “joke” from the goliath, this time involving Gardmore’s brains being used as a sandwich spread. Gardmore, being rather attached to his brains, found this joke as humorless as the first. And he was pretty sure that his trousers were now at least a little damp. After several minutes of negotiation, Gardmore finally secured what he thought was a good deal – he would get his 50 gold for providing all the intel, plus a quarter share of whatever they found in the dragon’s hoard. If it was as much as he hoped, he could make upwards of 500 gold without putting himself in harm’s way! Oh how he loved these big dumb adventurers. So noble, so easily manipulated, so…<br /><br />“Well?” the paladin interrupted his thoughts. “We agreed to your terms. Lead the way, Gardy.”<br /><br />“Lead the way?” the salesman was incredulous. Surely they didn’t need HIS help to defeat the dragon? And this was NOT part of the deal, at least not the way he understood it. “What do you mean? I gave you instructions on how to get to the village. I will await you here once you’ve defeated the dragon.”<br /><br />“That’s some funny stuff there, my man,” said the paladin, “But that’s not the way it’s going to work. You see, as trusting as we are of strange white people selling us information about random towns, you'll forgive us if we have our doubts. You're coming with us." He turned to pick up his pack. A second later, he turned back, as if he remembered something important. He said, "By the way, if you think of ditching our merry little band here, just know that I'm the f***ing fastest nation you ever seen, and I will run you down. And once I do that, I'll turn you over to our friend Bear here, who has been known to break kneecaps with a single swing of his hammer. So I would suggest you begin walking.” Gardmore felt beads of sweat form on his brow. He looked up at the giant man in front of him and tried a weak smile. The goliath grinned back. Gardmore began walking. <br /><br />It was several hours before they reached the village. As expected, the streets and buildings were dead silent. The only noise was a distinct clawing sound coming from the outskirts of town. Gardmore gulped nervously. “This better be worth it,” he thought, not for the first time that afternoon. <br /><br />The salesman surveyed his hired goons. He had been introduced to each on their journey from the main road. Leading the group was the paladin. His name was Sir Usain Bolt, self-introduced as a mighty warrior and, of course, “the f***ing fastest nation you ever seen.” Walking next to Bolt, merrily swinging his warhammer at daffodils, was the goliath warden, Bear. Following behind them was Arca, who was not a beautiful sorceress as Gardmore had first thought (hoped?), but had revealed himself to be a changeling warlock. He now strolled along in the form of a bearded dwarf. Gardmore was confused about his earlier attraction to the man (woman?), and decided he’d have to schedule a meeting with his psychiatrist once this was all over. Next to Arca was the deva invoker, Zorab. As Gardmore glanced over, he noticed that the deva was staring at him, expressionless. Zorab had been looking at him intently for the last hour, the invoker's unsympathetic gaze seeming to peer into Gardmore's soul. It made him nervous. Last came Nementah, the shaman, a reserved wilden who seemed content and peaceful as she took in the natural wilderness. The dragon waiting at the end of the road didn't seem to concern her in the least. How these five adventurers, unlike in almost every way, had come together, Gardmore did not know, and had not asked. All that mattered was that they could kill a dragon. <br /><br />Oh gods how he hoped they could kill a dragon. <br /><br />Gardmore noticed with some trepidation that they were passing the village stables, the last building in the town proper. They found themselves stealing quietly down a lane bordered on each side by looming willows, the clawing sound louder and more distinct. Suddenly the lane turned a corner and ran into an open gate in the midst of a low stone wall. Beyond the wall was the cemetery, and 50 yards from them, purposefully rending the earth in front of a large headstone, was a white dragon. The dragon did not appear to notice them.<br /><br />“Here you are,” whispered Gardmore. “Good luck.” He turned and began to walk back down the lane. The shaman grabbed him with surprising strength and turned him back around. Without warning, there appeared next to him a sort of translucent wolf, which crouched on its haunches, teeth bared, as if ready to pounce.<br /><br />“My companion here is going to make sure that you don’t try anything clever – like running away,” said Nementah. <br /><br />Gardmore tried to gulp again, but his mouth was completely dry. “At the very least,” he thought with his last ounce of courage, “I’ll have a front row seat for my own dismemberment.”<br /><br />The group conferred briefly about their plan of attack. Seeming to settle on a strategy, they broke their huddle. The warlock entered the cemetry and began to sneak towards a large mausoleum. The others drew their weapons and waited in readiness by the gates. The dragon remained intent on its excavation, oblivious to the force that was about to be unleashed upon it. Gardmore held his breath. The warlock was almost behind cover. From there, Arca would be able to take a point-blank shot at the dragon’s exposed flank. With its attention then drawn, the rest of the party could rush in and take it by surprise. <br /><br />The salesman relaxed a bit. “What was I worried about?” Gardmore asked himself. “These are professionals. They know what they’re doing. This dragon doesn’t stand a chance.” For a second, Gardmore had a vision of swimming in a sea of platinum coins, scooping cupfuls of rubies and pouring them over his head as he…<br /><br /><em>SNAP</em><br /><br />The sound of a breaking tree branch brought the dragon’s full attention on the group standing at the edge of the graveyard. Arca froze, two steps from the mausoleum, but obscured from the dragon’s sight. The beast roared and turned its hateful gaze on each of the pitiful beings that dared disturb its work. When its cold, gleaming blue eyes focused on Gardmore, the cupfuls of rubies vanished from his mind, replaced by another thought: he was definitely going to need new trousers.<br /><br />While the dragon bellowed in fury at the interruption, the invoker sprang into action. He charged forward. White light was gathered at his fingertips. Zorab shouted to the dragon in its own language, his voice deep and infused with some sort of unseen power. There was momentary silence, and Gardmore dared to hope that Zorab’s words were a warning that the dragon would heed. But then a sound like laughter emanated from the dragon’s chest, and it responded to the deva in a terrible screeching voice. Zorab replied briefly in the draconic tongue. These last words brought a furious roar from the dragon, but the invoker refused to be intimidated. He remained impassive - standing alone in the middle of the cemetery. This insolence only infuriated the beast further. <br /><br />Suddenly, several things happened at once. The dragon took wing and flew towards the deva as Bear and Bolt charged toward the battle. Arca hurled arcane curses at the beast from behind the mausoleum. Bathed in a divine radiance, Zorab tried to defend himself against the dragon’s attacks, but the monster’s claws rent his armor and drew blood. As if in response to the attack, white light burst forth from Zorab and enveloped the dragon in a scorching blaze. The paladin and warden rained blows down upon its side with their mighty hammers. Gardmore found himself standing next to the wilden in sheer terror. At one point he thought to flee when Nementah sent her wolf spirit to attack the dragon, but his mind felt slow and detached as he watched the carnage unfold before him. By the time he convinced his body to act, the wolf was back by his side. It growled menacingly as if it sensed his purpose. The shaman gave him a warning glance.<br /><br />A cry from Bolt turned Gardmore’s attention back to the raging battle. Seeing the dragon in a vulnerable position, the paladin struck at its right flank with all his force. His craghammer struck true. An audible crunch sounded through the cemetery, and broken rib bones could be seen protruding from ragged, bloody holes in the dragon’s hide. Bolt let out another fierce cry and immediately dropped his hammer and shield, first pounding his chest, then raising both arms to point to the heavens and celebrating his mighty blow with a strange looking dance. Gardmore wanted to yell to Bolt that he should stop celebrating, that the fight was barely half over, but the words died in his throat. The paladin seemed as if he wouldn’t have cared anyway, as he was too wrapped up in his self-confidence to pay any heed.<br /><br />To Gardmore’s surprise and joy, the fight ended soon after. The white dragon breathed its icy breath over the fighters, but they shrugged it off and continued to do battle. Within minutes, the dragon lay dead on the ground. Bolt and Zorab had taken the brunt of the dragon’s ire, and they were injured, but still standing. Gardmore was so elated at the group’s success, he danced a little jig. The only thing that stood between him and a pile of money had been destroyed! Untold wealth awaited him just up a nearby mountain. Mentally, he was already spending his riches.<br /><br />“I could certainly use a new house, maybe one overlooking the lake; I could get a hot tub in the back with a wet bar…” His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knee-bucklingly awful smell.<br /><br />“Check what I got!” the goliath roared gleefully as he shoved a mass of loosely connected white scales, still steaming and dripping with dragon innards in Gardmore’s face. “I’m going to make myself a shirt!”<br /><br />“That’s, uhhh, wonderful,” Gardmore managed to gag out. He moved away from the giddy giant, who went to show his prize to the spirit wolf. The wolf promptly disappeared back into the ethereal realm. Gardmore couldn’t blame it.<br /><br />“Excellent work, gentlemen!” Gardmore exclaimed, motioning the adventurers to gather around him. Nementah cleared her throat. “…and lady. Now we go to claim our reward.”<br /><br />“The villagers’ freedom is our reward. We require nothing further…” the deva began, in his insufferable, condescending tone.<br /><br />“Thaaaaaat’s not quite true,” Arca interjected, having morphed into a horned tiefling. “Let’s find us a dragon hoard!”<br /><br />“Indeed, let’s.” Gardmore agreed. “Follow me.”<br /><br />The lair was little more than half an hour’s journey from the village. Gardmore felt nothing but elation at having the dragon out of the picture. In between thoughts of the mansion he would build, he amused himself listening to paladin and the invoker discuss the battle.<br /><br />"Hey, Zoreeby," Bolt said, addressing the deva, "what did you say to that dragon to get it all worked up?"<br /><br />Zorab said, "I gave it the same divine ultimatum I give all perpetrators of injustice. I told it to leave and never return, or face the consequences. I also told the dragon to reveal its necromantic master. The dragon, in its stupidity, blindness and greed, merely laughed and said it would never reveal anything. It then threatened to kill us."<br /><br />"Then what did you say?" asked Bolt.<br /><br />"I told it to go to hell."<br /><br />"Tight!" Bolt exclaimed. He attempted to perform some sort of congratulatory hand ritual with Zorab, but the invoker clearly had no experience with that sort of thing. Bolt soon gave up.<br /><br />Then the deva turned to the paladin. "Why did you drop your weapon and defenses during the battle? You put yourself in severe danger."<br /><br />"Naw naw naw, Zorab, you don't get it," explained Bolt. "Sometimes you just do something so crazy that you gotta celebrate, you know? Give praise to Kord and all that. I knew we were going to get that dragon down, so I didn't worry about it." <br /><br />Zorab looked confused. "Every divine strike I direct at an enemy is a prayer, and every word I utter on the battlefield is a praise," he said. "Berronar does not require dancing, and would chastise me for performing such meaningless gestures during a conflict. Is this a requirement of worship that Kord has placed on you personally?"<br /><br />Bolt shook his head. "You still don't get it. It's all in the moment, my man! When I tore that dragon up, I just had to let it all out! Like that time when we..."<br /><br />Gardmore's thoughts wandered as the paladin and the invoker dove into a deep theological discussion about the styles and merits of praising one's god on the battlefield. The salesman tried to get back to his vision of the treasure that awaited them, but instead he found that questions began to nag at him. What if there WAS a necromancer involved that still needed to be dealt with? What if the cave wasn’t deserted? What if the dragon had family nearby that would seek vengeance? What if these “noble adventurers” suddenly decided to turn on him and take his share of the treasure? What if he couldn’t swindle these fools out of a disproportionate share of the hoard? Well, that last one wasn’t so much a worry as it was a matter of professional pride, but it was still relevant. “I need to be adequately compensated for my troubles. I mean, I could have been killed out there! And I risked my neck to get this information in the first place,” Gardmore thought. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to get less than my fair compensation. One fourth indeed! With any luck, I’ll be two miles away before these idiots realize I took half their loot.” <br /><br />Just then the group crested a small rise and the cave came into view. The opening was smaller than Gardmore imagined it would be, but that was no matter; it was a young dragon, and the cave probably went a ways back into the mountainside. He still felt uneasy about waltzing uninvited into a dragon’s lair, but the goliath obviously had no such fears.<br /><br />“Hey dragon, you home?” Bear called into the cave as he activated a sunrod. “No? That’s cause we killed you! Ha!”<br /><br />Gardmore tried to motion the others ahead of him, thinking he would still have time to run if something remained alive in the cave, but Bolt wouldn’t have it. <br /><br />“You next, princess,” the paladin said, pushing him into the cave. Gardmore looked around nervously as he entered. The cave was small and bone-numbingly cold. An underground river ran from left to right, splitting the cavern in two. Across the water, an ornate mirror lay propped against the back wall. That was a start. But then Gardmore looked at the ground. Silver-colored coins littered the rock floor around his feet. Could it be…?<br /><br />Zorab leaned in for a closer look. “It looks like…”<br /><br />“Platinum?!?” Gardmore cried, falling to his knees and scooping up the coins. He would be rich! There was enough platinum in here to...wait a minute. No. The coins were too light. It couldn’t be mere…<br /><br />“Silver is what I was going to say,” the deva offered. “I sincerely doubt a young dragon in this part of the country would have a stash of 1,500 platinum pieces.”<br /><br />Gardmore felt a scream rising. All of this, for a mere pile of silver? And an old mirror? Inconceivable! He could barely contain his frustration.<br /><br />The adventurers, at least those that weren’t either a religious nutcase or made of wood, appeared to be just as disappointed with the take as Gardmore was. And they weren’t happy with having paid 50 gold to fight a dragon and get a puny bag of silver. Gardmore was going to have to maintain his composure and talk his way through this.<br /><br />“It doesn’t appear this dragon was quite as wealthy as we were led to believe, there, Gardy,” said Arca. “Tell you what, we’ll give you 40 gold and let you leave here with your health intact.”<br /><br />“40 gold! Our agreement was one quarter of the hoard!” Gardmore couldn’t contain his fury. “You’re telling me that mirror is only worth 10 gold?”<br /><br />“I would not pay 10 gold for that mirror,” said the invoker seriously.<br /><br />Gardmore himself wouldn’t have paid 10 gold for the mirror, but he decided to call the bluff. “Fine,” he said, “then I’ll take the mirror. You all can take the silver.”<br /><br />Bolt, who had been writing a makeshift trust deed for the property, glanced sidelong at the mirror. “The deva spoke a little quick there. The mirror's probably worth a tad more than that," he said. "How 'bout this - you take 60 gold and we’re square.”<br /><br />“60 gold?” Gardmore scoffed and shook his head. He knew he was pushing his luck, but he was going to milk this for all it was worth. “I'll take 80 gold and that's my final offer.”<br /><br />Bolt gave a little nod to Bear, who loosened his warhammer in its sheath and patted the haft. The gesture was not comforting. “75 gold, Gardy. Take it or leave it.”<br /><br />Well, the hot tub and wet bar were out of the picture. Still, 125 gold for a day’s worth of dealing with five strangers wasn’t bad. He sighed heavily and told Bolt that he would take it.<br /><br />"Now it's time to take my leave," the salesman thought as he anxiously heaped his silver into a sack. He left without another word. The adventurers were still searching the cavern and didn't even look up when he exited. Once out of the cave, he gave a quick glance over his shoulder and then hustled as fast as his stubby legs would carry him all the way to the road. He wasn’t about to give these fools a chance to think twice about letting him walk away with half their cash. Once during his flight Gardmore thought he heard something behind him in the forest, but he didn't hear it again and decided to keep going. He had business to attend to. <br /><br />Finally he reached the highway. Gardmore smiled wryly as he hurried to Fallcrest. Not the most lucrative venture, maybe, but still profitable. Overall, he couldn’t complain.<br /><br />The salesman had no idea the wilden and the deva watched him as he went, marking his progress toward the city. <br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-26716200089559952702009-11-25T18:29:00.000-08:002009-11-26T10:02:23.198-08:00Months after leaving his companions Malak is found running through a forest heading south...<br /> The rain was pouring hard now, it seemed to know that there was an ominous encounter about to happen. At least that is what Malak was told when he was a child by the elders of his tribe. As he ran through the forest the rain was unforgiving to him, making hard for him to move through the heavy underbrush. After a few more moments he finally stops at the edge of a clearing in the forest, where the rain seemed to pour heavier and a chill to the wind. He feels a sense of unease as he looks at the clearing, to his right there is a rock formation and nothing else. He can't put his finger on it, but something doesn't feel right. As he steps into the clearing he catches a whiff of a peculiar smell, but can't tell what it is from. He unsheathes his sword, Kurast just as two arrows are let loose, one hitting square in the shoulder the other just grazing his cheek. As he pulls the arrow out there is a cry heard from the far side of the clearing, to Malak's disgust a band of goblin's spews forth running at him. He raises Kurast in one hand and brings it down cleaving two goblins. Before he can bring his sword up several nets are thrown on him as maces and clubs are brought down on his body. As so many times before he feels a sudden rush and throws the nets off and is able to back his way to the rock formation. There he brings Kurast through the remaining goblins, cutting off several of their limbs and heads, leaving a few remaining. The ones that remain, pull out two potion bottles each and throw them at Malak's feet. As the bottles break Malak feels his body stiffen and non-responsive, he falls to the ground aware of what is going on, but not able to move. The goblin's fearing for their life shackle Malak's arms and legs together. A time passes before a voice is heard talking to the goblins, it tells them good work at capturing this fine specimen. As Malak turns his eyes to see who the voice is coming from he sees an end of a staff coming down. Malak is knocked out by the staff of a very powerful Warlock, whose name is Exar. Exar, turns to the remaining goblins, "Put him in the wagon and cover him up. These shackles should hold him long enough for us to get him back to my laboratory." The goblins pick up Malak and throw him into the back of the wagon. Two of them get into the riders seat and begin to haul Malak off. Exar meanwhile picks up Malak's sword and places it in a sheath on his horse, he rides off after the wagon.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Several Days Later...<br /> Malak, it seems had fallen into a trap that was laid for him, by goblins of all things!! He was still in a daze, unable to move, but able to comprehend what was going on around him. He could tell that he was in a storage area, it was cold and little light. As the days passed Malak reminisced about the past few months since he left his companions at the dwarven hold. He remembers the head dwarf being very angry with him when he found him with his daughter. Apparently, it was thought to be an insult to demonstrate the handling of a broadsword to a female dwarf, who wanted to improve her feat at swordsmanship. After leaving his friends behind, embarrassed about what had happened. He started out on his original quest of finding the Barbarians to the south. As he passed through towns he had many encounters that earned him fame and gold. Once in a city name Myrkr he entered the local fighters tournament. He was slated to be the loser of the final match by many especially when the local warrior is the favorite. The warrior, named Ulic, was a grand warrior at least 6'5" and much stronger than Malak. It was said the all his life he had been trained by the local warlord in the art of war. After a long battle, Malak was able to grab victory when he tapped into his barbarian power and kn ocked out Ulic. This awed the crowd, especially a warlock named Exar, who took great interest in Malak and his superior strength. After that tournament Malak continued south to where the goblins had ambushed him.<br /> More days passed and Malak was left to his thoughts, however he heard a voices always talking about him and some project. Then one day he awakes to see a darkened sky and a alchemist set all around him. He then hears a familiar voice, "Are you awake?" Exar is at the second story to the laboratory. "Today is when you fulfill your purpose for coming here. I am going to give you unimaginable power and abilities that you have only dreamed about." Exar begins to walk down a flight of stairs towards Malak. " You will sadly lose any memory of who you are and what you have done, but you will gain so much more." As Exar stands next to Malak, he is on a table that is held up by chains that lead to the ceiling of the place. Underneath the table is a container filled with a solution that cannot be identified. Exar straps Malak to the table making sure that they are firm and in place. Malak with all his effort is trying to will his body to move and fight the straps. Exar notices the look in Malak's eyes, "I know you are scared and are trying desperately to fight your way out using brute strength. Rest assure in a few moments you will not feel anything or remember what happened." With that Exar begins to walk up the stairs to what looks like a control panel and pushes a few leavers. The table begins to descend into the liquid, Malak is now submerged into the liquid which begins to rush into his mouth and lungs. He is in complete agony unable to breath, suddenly there is a jolt into the liquid and pain is now searing through his entire body. He is trying to remember his training on dealing with pain, there is too much however, and he is sent through a series of flashbacks, where he remembers his home in the north. He sees his friends in pain in a dark place, where they are being held captive. The last image he sees is that of his uncle and family disappearing in a fog. He tries to reach out for them, as he reaches he sees that his hand has been transformed into a different hand. Suddenly everything goes white the pain has become to unbearable and his mind is shut down.<br /><br />The Next Day...<br /> I awake with a jolt from the bed, as I sit up, my head is throbbing. As I try to calm down, I can't remember what happened last night or anything before that. I think to myself 'Did I just dream that or was it actually true??' I try and get my bearings in the room, I see that it is made of stone with a dresser with a mirror, a large window, and a rug on the floor. I cautiously stand up and walk to the mirror over the stand. I look into the mirror to see a pale thin looking face staring back at me. I raise a hand to touch my face. The hand feels cold and my face feels scaly, I notice some strange markings on my forearm that lead back to his body. I rip off the top of my robe to see a scaly looking body with numerous markings, which look to me like tattoos all over his body. Shocked, I step back and fall over the chair behind him to the ground. I crawl over to the corner and draw up my legs, not knowing what to make of all this. I still have no memory of why I am here, who I am, or what this place is? A few hours pass before there is a noise of someone approaching outside the door. The door opens to reveal a middle aged man with jet black hair, there is a mark that looks like mine his on the forehead.& nbsp; He is in black robes, he is ordained with a golden gauntlet on his right hand. On the gauntlet is a big jewel in the center with a bunch of little ones surrounding it. The one in the middle is a big yellow one that seems to have a pulse of light in it. In his left had he has a staff that has a white-gold look to it. A smile forms on his face as he enters the room. " You are awake that is good." He moves to the seat next to the dresser.<br />"Who-who-who are you?" is all I manage out.<br /> As he sits down the staff begins to shrink to a rod of 3 feet in length. He places it on his lap and then puts his hands on his knees. "You may call me Exar...I am a warlock from the order of Zal'tan." he smiles.<br />"Who am I...what is this place...why am I here?!?!" I stammer out, barely able to keep my emotions in check.<br />"Your name is Arca, this is a keep that belongs to my order, you are here because you are powerful being. Under my tutelage you will learn the ways of the Zal'tan. You were brought here by my order several days ago. They told me nothing of you other than, your name, and what you are."<br />I sit and think for a moment, "What am I?"<br />Exar leans back into the chair, he crosses his arms. "You are a changeling."<br />"Changeling??" I ask.<br />"Your kind is able to 'shift' into other forms that are of your size, so for example you can do this..." As he finishes his sentence Exar shifts into a dwarf, then a dragon kin, and finally into something that looks like me, but is different.<br /> "As you can see my young apprentice, that is why you are here. We are both the same and you have an extraordinary power in you, like me. "<br /> He shifts back to the form he was when he walked into the room. He stands up and walks to the door and turns around back to Arca.<br />"Your training begins tomorrow. It will be a long arduous path, with things you may not be ready for. However, you have someone that starting a similar journey, like you. His name is Cay and he is from the town of Myrkr."<br />Pondering what has been told me, there is a basic question in my head, "Training for what?" I ask.<br /> Exar looks at me, his eyes are boring into mine. It's as if he sees my soul and destiny unfolding.<br />"You are to train as a Warlock, now it is time to eat...come." Exar motions to follow him, the rod has grown back into a staff as he stands up. Hesitantly, I get up and follow him pulling my robe back up to cover me. I do feel a need to eat all of a sudden. I follow him down a hall and into a big banquet room, there are many long tables in the room. There are tapestries hanging from the wall, depicting heroes from the order. Exar motions for me to sit down at the table, soon there are people serving me as if were a king. As I sit there and eat, I think about what lies ahead of me and think that there is something odd to this place.<br /><br />Several months later...<br /> Arca is standing in a clearing that is west of Zal'tan hold. As he stands there with a wand out he mutters some words. Suddenly there is a blast that shoots out from the wand scarring the earth as well as the makeshift dummy in front of him. There is clapping heard from behind him, "Good Arca, you have mastered the Dark Pact very well, however there is still more to learn." Exar says.<br />"Thank you very much master." Arca says with a slight bow.<br /> Exar turns toward Cay, "Now Cay it is your turn, use your curse to strike down the dummy with your power." Cay who is standing a few feet away, turns and faces the dummy. He holds both hands out together towards the dummy. As he mutters some words, the dummy begins to wobble about, then with a quickness the legs are kicked out from underneath it. Exar raises his gauntleted hand and the dummy raises back up. "Now it is your turn Arca..."<br /> Arca, knows that he is not very strong in his curse, in fact the one he has been constantly working on, helps him focus on his target and increases the blast. He closes his eyes and thinks of the dummy sitting in front of him. He begins to mutters some words as he raises his wand, as he finishes the curse a light forms at the end of the wand. Arca screams "HADOUKEN!!!!!" The dummy is lifted a foot or two off the ground and a blast bigger than anything Cay or Arca have seen is sent towards the dummy, completely obliterating it. Both are speechless as the blast subsides. Exar is exuberant, "Well done, well done, my apprentice. You have shown what you are truly made of today! You are by far my best student ever!!! " Exar steps down from the stones and wraps his arm around Arca's shoulder. "Come let us break for dinner..." the two being to walk off back towards the tower. Cay is sitting there in disbelief, soon that is replaced by rage and jealousy towards Arca.<br /> Later that night after they have finished the night meal, a half-elf is sitting in the library looking over some tomes that are concerned with the dark pact. Exar walks in slowly behind him, "I see you are brushing up on your studies??" Arca, slightly jumps from being surprised that Exar was there behind him and shifts back into his normal form. <br />"I'm sorry, I was hoping to learn why I struggle with this form of attack so much." Exar takes a seat across from Arca at the table. "The only true way to use the dark pact is to use the anger that burns in all of us." Arca now interested in what his master has to say puts down the tome. "What do you mean anger in all of us? I don't feel anger at all, is that my problem?" Exar looks at him as if he was looking for something on or in him. "You will one day my student. Life always manages us to give us anger to live many, many life times." He gets up and walks back towards the entrance, "Oh don't let anyone see you shift into that type anymore. Elves are not very welcomed here." Arca nods, and as Exar leaves, he shifts into a Tiefling.<br /> Arca is asleep on his bed in his room, he is tossing and turning as his dreams are becoming slowly twisted into a nightmare. In it he sees himself as a barbarian being attacked by goblins only to see Exar knock him out. He then sees a adventurers that seem familiar to Arca, he sees them fight many monsters, demons, and even a dragon. His next vision is that of some of those companions walking into a manor or keep of some sort, then pain. His last image which sent him reeling awake was that of his master. In the image he sees Exar in his study looking over something. He sees Cay sneak up behind him and stab him through the back with a ceremonial knife. Arca jumps up from his bed, he holds his head in his hands just as he hears a scream come from down the hall. Arca races out of his room towards his master's room. When he gets there he sees his master on the ground bleeding from a wound in the chest. Arca rushes to his side, "Master what happened??"<br /> Exar turns and looks at him and in a weak voice, "I--t ...it was C-ay. He--he--he did...this...to... me." Arca looks at the wound and knows it is fatal. Exar weakly laughs, "I sh--ould have watch--ed...him...more. Ap-p-p-parant--ly...his...jealousy...was...un-stop---able." Tears form in Arca's eyes, "You can't die master, I have much to learn still." Exar slowly shakes his head, "Yes....more...you...m-m-m-us-t...learn. Y-o--u...must...ha-ve...my...v---en--ga--nce." <br /> Suddenly the main bell in the tower begins to ring. Exar has a worried look on his face, "Arca...before you....go...I...mu--st te---ll ...and...give...you...some---th--ing. I...will...gi--ve...you...the..gi--ft...of...anger. T-t-take...m-m-my...hand-d-d...and receive...it." Arca takes Exar's hand and puts it to his forehead. In a flash Arca sees some of his past, the barbarians, the group of adventurers, and Exar's betrayal. However, he sees the top of the order of Zal'tan put Exar in charge of doing this to Arca. He reels back from Exar.<br />"You did this to me?? Who am I really? Why did you do this to me??" He is seething with anger throughout his whole body. <br /> Exar weakly, "I...don't...k--n--ow, f-f-f-ind the head...of our...order, he...kn-n-nows. Now take these..."He hands him his rod and gauntlet. "W-w-w-hen...you...have-have-have...mastered...t-t- t-he use... of these items, th-th-th-en ...you...w-w-w-ill...b-b-be...a...true.. war-lock. N-n-n-ow...go...find...your...f-f-f-riends to the east ,l-l-l-eave... before... they... find..you here..." with that Exar dies.<br /> Arca, still reeling with anger yells aloud as he takes the two items in his hand. Suddenly there is a banging on the door to the room. Arca can hear voices outside the room, then there is a voice, it is Cay, he is telling the remaining order that he has found Exar dead and that Arca killed him. Arca slips out the back way to the study and stealthily makes his way to his room. As he is gathering his stuff, there is a sound of a mob heading towards his room. Knowing he can't fight them all he looks to his window. As he looks out he sees a river quite a distance below him. Without hesitation Arca jumps out the window to the river below, just as the mob bursts in on him.<br /> Arca lands with a thud into the water below, all his air is pushed out of him and he is struggling to stay afloat. He hears shouting from the keep behind him as he swims over to the bank across from it. When he makes it out of the river, he runs and runs and runs for what its seems like hours before he collapses into a exhausted sleep. The next morning he awakens to flashbacks to the night before, he sits up startled trying to regain his senses. As he regains his composure he finally understands what he must do. He now has a purpose in life, to find out who he is and to make those pay that did it to him. As he stands to leave he makes sure that Exar's gauntlet in his bag, and then reforms the rod into a walking staff. As he walks he draws up his hood to hide his form, as he walks he feels his anger coursing through his body. It seems that Exar was right, anger had found him and it was all he could feel. He sets out heading to the east, with only his visions and senses guiding him.<br /><br />At the order of Zal'Tan in the nearby city of Dathomir.<br /> Cay is walking into a audience chamber . When he enters there is a huge stand in the middle with a light beaming down on it. Atop of it is a hooded figure, along the walls Cay is able to make out other figures standing in the room. Cay stops near the foot of the stand and kneels. The figure on the stand speaks in a booming voice, "CAY, YOU HAVE DONE WELL TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS TREACHERY. IT IS BECAUSE OF YOUR LOYALTY TO THIS ORDER THAT WE GIVE YOU THIS GIFT." As the figure says this, one from the wall steps toward Cay and places a gauntlet, much like Exar's on the ground in front of him. The figure continues, "PLACE THIS ON YOUR HAND AND READY YOURSELF TO BECOME ONE OF US..."Cay places it on his hand and holds it outstretched towards the figure, as he does this lightning shoots out from the figures hand and seems to empower the gauntlet and bring it to life. There is a soft red glow from the gem in the middle of it. "NOW GO CAY, YOUR FIRST ORDER IS TO SEEK OUT ARCA AND KILL HIM..." Cay nods, "Yes, my master it will be done." Cay stands and exits the room, he has a wicked smile on his face as he does...</span>Brian Zunigahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00921685129806166906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-39039714259898850622009-11-25T18:27:00.000-08:002009-11-26T10:03:03.952-08:00Zorab's backstoryPast Life:<br /><br />I lived with a large dwarven nation. The dwarves lived within the mountains, mining for jewels and precious metals. I ventured alone from the city one day, and I was captured by dragonborn. I was tortured. After several months of mind-breaking punishment, I was taken before a red dragon. In my confused state, the dragon convinced me that the dwarves were under an evil curse, placed on them by a demon that was entombed within the mountains. The curse was leading them to mine deeper and would eventually cause them to free the demon from his prison. The dragon informed me that I had been under the same curse and the torture was necessary to free my mind of its effects. He said that the dwarves, however, were not strong-minded enough to be cured of the curse and must be killed. They would become hostile to anyone who tried to turn them against their drive to do as the demon was commanding them to do. The dragon implored me to aid in his attempt to stop the demon from being freed. I agreed. I went back to the dwarves and at the appropriate time, I sabotaged their defenses. When the dragon and his minions attacked, I aided in the slaughter. It was not until I looked into the eyes of a dwarf woman and her child that I realized I’d been deceived.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />I turned my wrath on the dragon, but I was too late. The destruction was virtually complete and the dragon killed me without a second thought. I was of no more use to him now that he had his stolen kingdom. I was reborn in the midst of a purifying fire. The dwarven goddess of safety, community, truth, and justice, Berronar Truesilver, saved me from being reborn as a rakshasa and gave me a chance to redeem the wrongs of my past life.<br /><br /><br />Current Life:<br /><br />After my rebirth, Berronar guided me to a new community of dwarves. The dwarves, while somewhat suspicious of an obvious outsider, allowed me to stay. I established myself quickly, however, as I knew the native dwarven tongue fluently, and I was familiar with their culture and their gods (Berronar, of course being one). I provided them with divine wisdom and bestowed blessings on their children. Within a year I was a respected member of the community.<br /> Dwarves being a proud and territorial people, I earned much respect with my prowess on the battlefield. Berronar’s power flowed through me as I stood side by side with their warriors and drove off attackers. I worked with them in the rocky mountain passes of our homeland, hunting for food and mining for precious metals. Though I stood a full two feet taller than even the tallest, I was regarded as an equal. Every night as I sat in conversation with Berronar, I thanked her for the second chance she gave me. I no longer worried about my previous life’s mistakes.<br /><br />Then it all changed. <br /><br />I came home one day from a wedding. The ceremony’s beauty had distracted me from an empty feeling in my chest, but now that I was alone and had a moment to be still, the emptiness consumed me. Berronar…her presence had left me. As I began to panic, I felt an invisible hand on my shoulder. It turned me toward the window that looked out over the valley stretching away from the village. And then she spoke to me.<br /><br />YOU MUST GO.<br /><br />Go? What do you mean “go”?This is my home! These are my people! I have done all that you asked, Berronar! I have defended the community! I have loved them! I have been honest and true! Surely you can’t be telling me to leave.<br /><br />YOU MUST GO NOW.<br /><br />Why? Why must I go? Is there something I have done or not done? Have I been disobedient? When have I ignored your voice? When have I acted apart from your will?<br /><br />NOW.<br /><br />No. No, Berronar. This is where I belong! What I am doing here is good! I am protecting and uplifting the community! I am upholding truth and justice! I am redeeming myself! I will not go!<br /><br />I was acting like a child throwing a tantrum. Ridiculous behavior, now that I think back on it. How dare I speak that way to my god? The god who gave me life and saved me from the depths of horror that was my past life. Although the torture I endured in that life had left a legacy of occasional fits of violence and rage, those raw emotions were always directed at enemies who threatened the sanctity of the community. Now my anger was focused squarely on the divine being threatening the sanctity of my life. I was so blinded by my own vision of self-righteousness that I could not accept what Berronar was saying to me.<br /><br />And then I was blinded to everything.<br /><br />With a great flash of light, the room around me exploded with divine radiance. I heard Berronar intone softly. <br /><br />ONLY I CAN REDEEM YOU <br /><br />Everything went black.<br /><br />I don’t know how long I laid there unconscious. When I awoke, I opened my eyes…but the blackness did not dissipate. Berronar had removed my sight. With a crushing weight the realization of what I had done came full upon me, and I cried out to my god. I pleaded for forgiveness. I begged for mercy. But the emptiness inside me and the blindness of my eyes persisted. For the first time in seven years since my rebirth, I wept. <br /><br />I crawled on hands and knees to the door, found my staff, and used it like a crutch to raise myself to my feet. I stumbled out and felt my way to the middle of town. I needed to find someone to help me pack my belongings so I could leave. I may not have been in Berronar’s good graces, but I would humble myself and repent. I would obey her command and try to regain her blessing.<br /><br />I heard a commotion in the village square as I approached. A gruff voice to my right spoke to me. It was Grimdrin, a friend of mine and one of the elders of the community.<br /><br />“Zorab? Are you hurt? What is the matter with your eyes?” he asked, concerned.<br /><br />I would not deny my sin. “I have gone against the will of Berronar. Blindness is the punishment of my insubordination,” I said. While nothing could compare to the despair I felt at having alienated my god, I still cringed as a new wave of shame washed over me. My piety was nothing but a house of sticks knocked over by a stiff breeze.<br /><br />There was an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Grimdrin cleared his throat. He said, “Well, Zor, I…I am sorry to hear that. Please let me know if there is some way I can help.” For the first time in some years, I knew the dwarf was contemplating the differences between us. Could I blame him? This was not something that he had ever seen among his own people. <br /><br />There was another long silence. Finally he spoke again, “I know this may be a bad time, but there is someone I would like you to meet. A refugee has found us. She has traveled far. It seems her home was destroyed some years ago and she has been living with her child on the fringes of society until she could gather enough provisions to make the journey to our village. Come, maybe welcoming her into our community will help you with Berronar.”<br /><br />I knew that my status with Berronar would not change until I obeyed her command and left the town, but I let him lead me towards the throng of dwarves clamoring in front of me. I could feel us push through the onlookers. Finally, we stopped and Grimdrin began his introduction, “Krystrid, this is…”<br /><br />Krystrid? That name sounded familiar. When I heard her sharp inhale of breath, the memory came to me.<br /><br />“Zorab?!?” she exclaimed. I could hear the confusion and the pain in her voice. It was a voice out of my previous life - the life that had ended so terribly. The life that had seen me aid in the destruction of an entire dwarven nation. My eyes were blind, but my mind could still replay the images of slaughter. I could do nothing as I watched myself kill men, women, and children, thinking all the while that I was delivering them mercy. The last image lingered – it was Krystrid, clutching her baby to her bosom, a look of unimaginable betrayal on her face as I raised my staff to strike her down. It was her face that had brought me to my senses; her face that freed my mind from the dragon’s deception; her face that showed pain so intense that I knew there could be no evil enchantment. I had been deceived by the dragon. I remembered that the last thing I had done before I went to my death was to lead Krystrid past the marauding dragonborn so that she could flee to safety. The image faded.<br /><br />And now I knew why Berronar had commanded me to go. She was honoring my obedience and wanted to spare me the pain of enduring this meeting. For the first and last time, I was grateful that I could not see. The images of my past lives would flicker in and out of my mind’s eye, but they rarely lingered. But if I had seen the face of this woman before me, with eyes of anger and hatred and loss staring into mine, I might have lost all semblance of hope for maintaining my sanity, much less restoring my relationship with my god.<br /><br />I stood there, head bowed, as Krystrid explained to my friends and neighbors how she recognized me. I heard gasps of shock and exclamations of disbelief. I felt as if my soul was being stoned – every condemning word a rock that left me bruised and bloodied. After what seemed like an eternity, Krystrid fell silent. I felt the eyes of the entire village burning into me. It spoke well of their honor and sense of justice that they did not tear me to pieces on the spot. <br /><br />Grimdrin spoke, his deep voice rough with emotion, “What have you to say, Zorab? Is this true?”<br /><br />I gathered myself and spoke to them for the final time. “It is true. I was captured by the dragon, and deceived into believing the dwarves were evil. My mind was not strong enough to resist the lies he fed me. Berronar Truesilver gave me a chance to redeem that mistake in this life, and I made it my covenant with her to protect and honor the people of this community in any way I could. It seems I have failed at that, as well. I am truly sorry for my actions. I will not ask your forgiveness. It is not deserved. If you desire to enact some sort of retribution, I will accept that. However, if you allow it, I will simply leave, and never return. My penance will be the knowledge of the pain that I have wrought.”<br /><br />Utter silence. I let the moment linger, waiting for the first shout for my head, but it never came. I turned and shuffled through the crowd, weariness like I had never known sitting like a yoke upon my shoulders. I managed to retrace my steps to my home and I gathered a few provisions. Carrying nothing but my staff and the food I could fit in a sack, I left.<br /><br />I do not know how far or how long I wandered. My legs were bloody from tripping on rocks and tree roots by the time I descended into the valley. My hands were gashed from breaking the falls. Each step I prayed to Berronar to reclaim me as her own. Days and nights meant nothing to me. Although I ate little food, the provisions I had were gone soon enough. I was reduced to begging in the towns through which I passed. <br /><br />It had probably been months of wandering in this manner before Berronar heard my prayers. I had once again run out of food and I was weak beyond imagination. To make matters worse, I had contracted some sort of sickness from eating scraps thrown to me by some jeering townsfolk. My breath came in ragged gasps and I coughed up what I assumed was blood. I sank to my knees in the road and offered a last supplication to my god. <br /><br />“Berronar Truesilver. I beg for your grace and mercy. Take your place in my heart. Flow through me once more with truth and justice. Allow me to be your instrument of protection against those who would threaten the safety of innocent people. I am yours to command.”<br /><br />I lifted my hands to the sky with the last of my strength. Not getting a response, my body gave way and I collapsed there in the road, waiting for death to take me and dreading the beginning of my next life. A vision of the unnatural being I would become flashed through my brain. I heard a voice from a distance; it seemed to be calling out to me. But I no longer had the ability to respond. As I sank into nothingness, I thought I felt hands lifting me.<br /><br />When I awoke, I opened my eyes…and I could see! My first thought was that I had been reborn, but I quickly tossed that notion aside – I was in some sort of bedchambers and not in some secluded natural setting. My staff was propped by my bedside. Clothing had been laid out for me, as well as a fine mail tunic. I had not been reborn, but saved by a kind stranger. Berronar be praised! I was alive, I could see, I could walk…<br /><br />But most of all, I felt whole again. I felt Berronar within me, her power tingling at my fingertips, the language of the angels on my tongue. My penance was complete! I shouted a prayer of thanksgiving.<br /><br />Quickly I dressed and went to the window to see where had been taken. I was on an upper story of a tower looking out over a good sized settlement, which I did not recognize. A few miles outside of the city at the edge of the hills I saw a keep in ruins. A light fog seemed to emanate from the ruins, and hovered just over the city, blocking the sun from view. Even as the sight chilled me for reasons I could not explain, I felt a familiar warm hand grip my shoulder.<br /><br />YOU MUST GO THERE<br /><br />To the ruins? I will, Berronar. I will do as you say. <br /><br />KEEP THE RIFT CLOSED<br /><br />Rift? What rift? <br /><br />But her hand was gone. It did not matter though; I had her instructions and I would not ignore them, not again. I grabbed my staff and headed out the door and down the stairs.<br /><br />I saw no one as I made my way to the tower’s entrance. On a table in the foyer, I saw a note. The name on the top read “Valthrun.” I could find no quill or ink to leave my own message, but I swore that I would return to thank this man in person. I asked Berronar to grant him blessings. <br /><br />I had no idea how long I had lain in that bed – days, weeks, months, years maybe. I felt surprisingly hale, but that was naught but the grace of Berronar working through the nurturing hands of Valthrun. My strength had returned.<br /><br />As I walked through the streets, I noticed a distinct lack of activity. No bustling in the marketplace, no children playing. It felt like a ghost town. As joyous as my spirit was at having recovered its purpose, the utter lack of life around me dampened my enthusiasm. I moved as quickly as possible through the city and onto the road leading to the keep.<br /><br />As I crested a small rise, I saw the ruined structure in front of me. I picked my way across the rubble strewn plateau and over the stone that once formed the outer wall of the keep. Within minutes, I stood in what used to be a courtyard. Facing me was a gaping entrance to the keeps cellar with stairs leading down that were barely visible in the muted afternoon light. Four others stood staring with me – a tattooed giant, a heavily armored paladin, a horned tiefling in dark robes, and a woman whose skin appeared to be barklike and covered in leaves. Apparently Berronar did not mean for me to attempt this alone.<br /><br />The five of us looked at each other with an unspoken understanding. We moved towards the opening.</span>Brian Zunigahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00921685129806166906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-31984306809396809012009-11-23T21:48:00.000-08:002009-11-24T16:07:27.223-08:00The Winterhaven Saga, ExplainedWINTERHAVEN POST TRIBUNE<br /><br />FREE AT LAST!<br /><br />The fog is gone. <br /><br />The deep, dark mental state of confusion and depression has lifted from the city of Winterhaven. Seemingly interminable, the haze that enveloped the city’s populace apparently lasted for several weeks. <br /><br />No one could anticipate this. And no one is really sure what went on in Winterhaven during those lost days, except that the all of the trade and commerce that usually goes on in the marketplace was shut down. But now, thanks to our exclusive interview with five heretofore unknown adventurers, we know who was responsible for this phenomenon and how we were set free.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />The Winterhaven Post Tribune’s own Latyna Ramshackle was on hand as the adventurers returned to the city after their harrowing experience. Here is the exclusive interview with the renowned Sir Usain Bolt, the goliath, Bear, devoted servant of Berronar, Zorab, and master of the shamanistic arts, Nementah “the Freshmaker.” Sadly, they carried between them the fifth of their party, the noble and mysterious halfling (or goblin, or tiefling, or something...), Arca, who had perished during their mission.<br /><br />LATYNA RAMSHACKLE: Good sirs and ummm, tree, uh, woman. How does it feel to know that you have saved our fair city? How does it feel to know that you are heroes of Winterhaven?<br /><br />USAIN: Hey girl! What’s up? No, umm, it feels great, you know? I mean, we’re a little beat up, and that punk Kalarel was a tough cracker, but he got his. <br /><br />ZORAB: We have acted out of a need to bring safety to your peaceful community. The abominable actions going on in that keep have been ended. Your gratitude is noted and welcome, however we do not desire hero worship. Justice is its own reward…<br /><br />BEAR: Don’t listen to him! I wouldn’t mind a little worship! We deserve it after all we went through! It was crazy down there, man. There were zombies all over the place, there were these weird bug things, and there was this hand, you know? Giant hand! [the goliath gestured with his arms to accentuate his point.] [Whispering] I saw darkness man. Not just darkness, you know, but DARKNESS. There were things in there, man, bad things. Evil things…[trailing off and staring blankly into the distance]<br /><br /> NEMENTAH: There WERE bad things. All of them enemies of nature. I am glad they are gone and your city is safe.<br /><br />LATYNA: I am sorry about your fallen comrade.<br /><br />ZORAB: He died valiantly, expending all his efforts toward defeating the enemies of righteousness. His courage in the face of evil…<br /><br />USAIN: Courage?!? That fool dove headfirst into a bloody pit! In my land, we call that stupid. But whatever, he did his job. We got a dude coming to get him back on his feet. I think this is him now!<br /><br />DR. NYK RHYVIAIRA, local miracle man: Hi everybody! What seems to be the problem?<br /><br />NEMENTAH: Our friend is dead.<br /><br />DR. NYK: I see, I see. Fortunately for you it looks like he’s only MOSTLY dead.<br /><br />ZORAB [aside to Bolt]: Are you sure this man is qualified? What god divinely empowers his resurrecting ability?<br /><br />USAIN: Naw, it’s all good. He does his business his own way. [winks] And he’s giving us a discount. Trust me.<br /><br />BEAR: Sounds good to me! More loot for the rest of us!<br /><br />DR. NYK: All finished! 600 gold, please!<br /><br />BEAR: 600 gold! That’s ludicrous! That wasn’t worth it at all!<br /><br />ZORAB [looking sternly at Bear]: Of course it was. Material wealth means nothing compared to the life of a companion.<br /><br />BEAR [grumbling]: I coulda bought like 6,000 bedrolls with that…<br /><br />ARCA [rising from the ground in the shape of a halfling]: Wha…where am I? What happened? Why do I look like an overgrown halfling? Holy crap is THIS a hangover.<br /><br />ZORAB: You were slain by Kalarel, but we have defeated him and now you have been returned to life.<br /><br />LATYNA: You keep referring to this Kalarel – who is he? What was he doing down there? What really happened?<br /><br />ZORAB: Let me explain. I fear that my friends may have a tendency to embellish.<br /><br />We all felt called, each in his or her own way, to the keep. Knowing that there was something we needed to do, we agreed to join forces to battle whatever evil it was that had taken residence in the depths of the manor. Not long after we descended into the darkness, we encountered the ghost of one of those who had come before us to free your city. He guided us to the two living adventurers from that party. We were able to free them from the clutches of a possessed ooze. The two, Taran and Lotheryn, were very weak from their torture, so they told us the details of their errand and evacuated the keep. We agreed to continue with their quest – to find Kalarel, a worshipper of the evil god Orcus, who was trying to reopen a rift. The rift would create a portal between this world and a plane filled with unholy demons and beasts. It was the weakening of the seal holding this portal closed that caused the fog which plagued your city.<br /><br />After a few misturns, I felt my god, Berronar guide me toward a heavy set of doors. We approached with caution but heard only silence on the other side. We opened the doors to complete blackness. I lit a sunrod and looked into the room.<br /><br />It appeared to be a large hall, devoid of life. However, dominating the middle of the room was a large statue of a warrior maiden. Two statues depicting crouched dragons sat along the far wall. And across the room from us we saw an antechamber flanked by four statues of cherubs. I entered warily. There was no movement, but something about the room did not sit well in my soul. <br /><br />USAIN [shaking his head]: Your soul! Listen to this guy! I ain’t afraid of that stuff. I charged right in and nailed that ugly statue.<br /><br />BEAR [laughing]: Yeah, and then it dropped you flat on your ugly ass!<br /><br />USAIN: At least I don’t throw rocks at spiders when I haven’t a giant hammer in my hand!<br /><br />ZORAB: This is why I insisted on telling the story. Moving on. As soon as Bolt attacked the statue, the doors closed behind us, locking Arca, Nementah, and Bear out of the chamber...<br /><br />ARCA: But I used my superior skills to pick that lock, no problem.<br /><br />USAIN: Just like you used those skills to disable the traps on the floor, right? <br /><br />ARCA [transforming into a goblin]: For the last time, I didn’t know they were arcane runes! <br /><br />LATYNA [looking at Arca and screaming]: Aieee!!! A giant goblin!<br /><br />ARCA [morphing into a tiefling and wiggling his fingers in a strange manner]: What goblin? Where? I’ll spitefully glamour it!<br /><br />NEMENTAH [patting Latyna on the shoulder]: Don’t worry. He does this often.<br /><br />LATYNA [glancing nervously at the changeling]: O-o-okay. P-please continue.<br /><br />ZORAB: Indeed. <br /><br />After the others joined Bolt and I in the room, Bolt threw his bedroll at the statue, which was once again motionless. As we feared, the statue came to life again and destroyed the object as soon as it was within reach. [Bolt: That was my favorite bedroll too! You see the sacrifices we made?]<br /><br />We carefully inched along the near wall to the other side of the room, staying well back from the statue. Bear was the first to the far side of the room, and he entered the antechamber. Without warning, an arcane field separated the antechamber from the rest of the room, and the cherubs lining the walls of the chamber began to fill the room with water…<br /><br />BEAR: Good thing I’m 7’8” because otherwise, I might have drowned. But I had everything under control. No panic from me!<br /><br />ARCA: Are you kidding? Not only could you not destroy the cherubs with that huge weapon that you use [aside to Latyna: Compensating for something, if you ask me], but you caused the water to pour out faster, AND you made the dragon statues spit fire at us. And then, in a brilliant display of quick wit, you tried to tie yourself to one of the statues when the water started swirling. You failed at that, by the way…<br /><br />BEAR: I didn’t see you doing anything useful, mister fabulous glamour!<br /><br />ARCA: Me and Zorab were shutting down the dragon statues during your little bubble bath.<br /><br />ZORAB: Actually, Nementah discovered the source of their power, and Arca and I were able to use our knowledge of the magic arts to disable the enchantment that powered the dragon statues and the force field. <br /><br />After we accomplished that, we toppled the cherubs to prevent another entrapment. The encounter had left us drained and wounded, so we camped right there and regained our strength.<br /><br />USAIN: I had to sleep on the cold, wet floor because that statue destroyed my bedroll. But I endured.<br /><br />LATYNA: You poor thing! You must have been freezing!<br /><br />USAIN: Nah, I had my plate armor to keep me warm.<br /><br />ZORAB: Berronar guarded us while we slept and we woke up feeling refreshed. But we were not ready for what awaited us in the next room.<br /><br />I activated another sunrod and we opened the door. I was chilled to my core by the site of countless zombies feeding on the remains of the dead. Such unholy beings should not be walking about. They are an affront to the creation of the gods. I quickly prayed for wisdom, and Berronar answered.<br /><br />We closed the door and moved one of the fallen cherub statues in front of it to buy us some time.<br /><br />USAIN: Yeah, no thanks to Bear, who wanted to charge in there and fight them all himself. I had to intimidate him with my pimpness to get him to stop.<br /><br />BEAR [grumpily folding his arms and pouting]: I could have handled them. In my culture, we would never back away.<br /><br />ARCA: That’s because none of you has the brain power to come up with a plan…<br /><br />BEAR [brandishing warhammer]: What was that?<br /><br />ZORAB: Enough. <br /><br />Berronar told me that the only way to defeat the zombies was to use the power of the statue against them. Someone would have to lure the zombies into range. I knew it should be me.<br /><br />LATYNA: How incredibly brave…<br /><br />ZORAB [shaking his head]: No, what I do in response to my god for the safety of others is not bravery, only obedience.<br /><br />LATYNA [looking exasperated]: Alright…<br /><br />USAIN: He’s like this all the time. It’s all you’re going to get from him. Let me tell this thing the right way.<br /><br />So we backed off as the zombies burst through the door and charged right at Z standing there in front of the statue. And I have to say, the plan worked the first time; that statue chopped through three of those things like they were nothing. Problem was it chopped through the invoker as well. So Z gets up, but he knows he can’t take another swing from the statue, so he runs right up to the rest of those undead punks and blows half of em away with his god magic.<br /><br />ZORAB [clearing throat]: Actually it was a divine blast of holy, radiant energy meant to seek out those who have been necrotically reanimated from long dead corpses and destroy them.<br /><br />USAIN: Right right, god magic. So he does that. Meanwhile, Bear over here climbs up ON TOP OF THE STATUE and gets ready to jump on the next zombie to get anywhere near him. And the statue can’t get him because he’s on top of it, see?<br /><br />BEAR [looks proud of himself]<br /><br />USAIN: All of a sudden, more zombies show up and run over Zorab. It’s a big mess. But I lead the cavalry back into the fight so we can save him. Then one of these super zombies moves up to take us out, and Bear does this crazy flying leap to try to take out this fool. As expected, he lands about 5 feet short…<br /><br />BEAR [looking indignant]: No, no, no, I planned that the whole time. See, I wanted the zombie to THINK that I wouldn’t reach him…<br /><br />USAIN [interrupting]: …because zombies can think…<br /><br />BEAR [continuing]: …so that I could swing as soon as I hit the ground and take out his kneecaps. It’s an ancient goliath fighting technique. I’ve practiced that since I was a kid.<br /><br />USAIN [rolling eyes]: Sure. So anyway, then Nementah comes up and heals Zorab and we sent those zombies back to the afterlife.<br /><br />NEMENTAH [sighing]: I am constantly using my powers of healing to save all of you. Such is my lot in this fight against evil…You’re always charging in, heedless of the danger, trying to prove yourselves macho or whatever. [snorts derisively] Men.<br /><br />LATYNA [nods knowingly]<br /><br />ARCA: We appreciate the healing…<br /><br />NEMENTAH: You’d better. Anyway, let me carry on with this. After we defeated the zombies, we entered the next room. It was awful; there were dead bodies everywhere, most of them half-eaten by the zombies. And, just like in the rest of this dismal place, it was made entirely of stone, with not a sign of natural life. Clean up the bodies, maybe put a ficus in the corner, and some hanging hydrangeas, it would have really given the place a warmer feel. But no, I was forced to wander through this cold, stony tomb.<br /><br />We took a short break to rest after the zombies, and our paladin found a small crevice leading into a hidden chamber. When he came back, he showed us a brilliant red jewel that had a sort of renewing energy. How many bodies he had to go through to find it, I don’t want to know…<br /><br />BEAR: Don’t forget, he was also chewing on some old dead guy’s arm!<br /><br />LATYNA [shuddering]: Ewww…<br /><br />USAIN: No way! I keep telling you, it was beef jerky from my pack. I was hungry.<br /><br />ARCA: I was eating a corpse’s arm. [Everyone looks at Arca with disgust.] What? A little barbecue sauce, some bleu cheese dressing, that’s some good eating…<br /><br />BEAR: Alright; enough of that. My turn to tell the story.<br /><br />So after our rest, we charged through the doors on the other side of the room, which is how I like to do things. These big ugly, ogre looking dudes came at us, but me and Bolt took em out. Well, it was mostly me, since Bolt kept getting knocked unconscious, but I handled those thugs, no problem. Then we took out this evil priest looking guy who kept singing funny songs about something named Orcus. Kind of catchy, now that I think about it. [singing off-key] “He came from hell to earth, to kill your mom. From the …”<br /><br />ARCA: Whoa whoa whoa, did you forget the part where I singlehandedly took out like 8 vampires and some other little creeptastic thing?<br /><br />ZORAB: Actually, Nementah, her spirit companion and I assisted you…<br /><br />ARCA: Yeah, yeah, but it was mostly me. And then I nailed that underpriest. Should have been an overpriest! Heh heh.<br /><br />After I took care of that fool, we searched the room. There was a bloody altar on one side and there were these rivers of blood going down into this hole in the center of the room. We looked around for awhile, but we couldn’t figure out how to stop the blood. So I did what I had to do – I ran as fast as I could and leapt into the hole!<br /><br />LATYNA [looking aghast]: You didn’t!<br /><br />ARCA [puffing out his chest]: Oh yeah, I wasn’t afraid. I knew there was some sort of evil magic down there. So I went to find it and destroy it.<br /><br />When I got down there (landing on my feet, by the way), there were some skeletons, a weird wight-looking thing, and then some crazy guy with a Flock of Seagulls Haircut waving his staff all over the place and yelling about a rift. So I busted out my Eldritch Blasting skills and took those things down.<br /><br />ZORAB: Actually, when I slid down into the pit next to you, you were shivering violently and babbling. I had to say a prayer over you just to get you out of your trance. And then it took all of us working as a team to eliminate our foes.<br /><br />USAIN: Except Bear, who took his sweet time jumping down.<br /><br />BEAR: Hey! The blood was slippery, alright? And I was wearing my Himalayan walking shoes. They’re comfortable. Check em out [shows the reporter his shoes].<br /><br />LATYNA: Your feet do look resilient. <br /><br />ZORAB [looking impatient]: Continuing.<br /><br />We immediately recognized the eccentric man as Kalarel, and judging by the large statue of the death god Orcus on one side of the room, it became clear that he was using necrotic powers to open the rift. The rift itself dominated one side of the chamber, a gaping blackness that seemed to strain as evil creatures attempted to burst through. Kalarel was near to finishing his task.<br /><br />We destroyed Kalarel’s minions and confronted the emissary of death himself. His powers were strong, and he thwarted us at every turn, blasting us with necrotic energy that drained the life from us. I prayed that Berronar would see us through.<br /><br />But then Kalarel struck Usain with his staff, knocking him out. The only way to save him was for Bear to sacrifice his own health so Nementah could heal Bolt.<br /><br />NEMENTAH: I didn’t want to do it that way, but it was the only chance we had to keep Usain alive.<br /><br />USAIN [turning to Bear]: Really, man? You did that for me? [Bear nods] Come here, brother. [They tearfully embrace, Bolt pressed against the goliath’s massive bosom, sobbing. Suddenly they both look around and notice everyone staring at them. They back away from each other, looking at the ground and clearing their throats nervously.]<br /><br />ARCA: Are you boys finished with your lovefest or what? Anyway, that Kalarel guy teleported right in front of the rift, and seemed to get stronger. Bear charged over there, but a giant hand came out of the rift and…<br /><br />BEAR: DON’T TALK ABOUT THE HAND! [curling up in the fetal position, shivering and whispering to himself] Not the hand. Not the rift. So dark. So cold.<br /><br />ZORAB: It was truly a frightening sight. The hand grabbed Bear and attempted to pull him into the rift. I went to grab him, hoping to keep him from a fate worse than you can possibly imagine. [Bear whimpers] By Berronar’s grace, the hand let go and tried to grab me. I dodged out of the way and Bear was able to escape to safety, only to be struck down, unconscious, by one of Kalarel’s curses.<br /><br />LATYNA [turning to Bolt and putting her hand on his arm]: And what were you doing while this was going on, brave paladin?<br /><br />USAIN [looking uncomfortable]: You know, ummm, fighting Kalarel, and ummm, being, uhhh, paladin-like. And stuff.<br /><br />ARCA: Ha! You were hiding behind Bear’s body like a little girl! Big old paladin in his metal armor throwing butter knives from the corner!<br /><br />USAIN: Naw naw, I was protecting Bear’s body. I didn’t want him to get hurt any more than he was! And I had to, uhh, lay hands on him! <br /><br />ARCA [snorts derisively]: Yeah, and I’m a dwarf! [morphs into a dwarf] Damn.<br /><br />ZORAB: We were all injured by that time. Kalarel was proving to be a dangerous foe. He took out each of us, one by one, killing Arca, and knocking the others unconscious. I was the only one standing.<br /><br />Because of Berronar’s divine presence within me, I have a certain resistance to necrotic powers. It was all that sustained me. Bolstered by my god’s strength, I withstood Kalarel’s blows and called forth divine lightning. Finally, both of us bleeding, both of us appealing to the gods we served, Berronar’s justice reigned as Kalarel was struck down by a vicious bolt of divine energy. Upon dropping to his knees, the very evil he was trying to unleash turned on him. The rift sucked him in and immediately went still, safely closed once more. Winterhaven is safe.<br /><br />LATYNA [shaking her head in awe]: Incredible. So what will you do now?<br /><br />ZORAB: I need to find a quiet place and meditate on Berronar’s grace and mercy.<br /><br />NEMENTAH: I think I will wander among the trees and flowers. I have been too far from nature for too long.<br /><br />BEAR: I’m going to get a beer.<br /><br />ARCA: Beer sounds good to me.<br /><br />USAIN: I’m going to track down this Mayor McCheese or whoever and collect our cash money. After that I was thinking I might try to convince a certain hot news reporter to join me out on the town. That Kalarel dropped a ton of scratch and it’s burning a hole in my pocket. What do you say, girl? <br /><br />LATYNA [blushing]<br /><br />An amazing story of courage and adventure. Winterhaven is safe, with thanks to these intrepid heroes. Be sure to thank them if you see them on the street.<br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-37185187711447805092009-07-23T17:46:00.000-07:002009-07-23T17:54:37.225-07:00Wish ListEither in your spare time or next time we play, it would be helpful for me if we came up with some sort of wish list for everyone. Since there are a variety of different armors, weapons, magical clothing/jewlery and wonderous items that are available for everyone's character, and since I want you guys to have fun, we need to find out what you want most in the world (the D&D world, of course). So if you could list like 3-5 itmes that are no more than 4 levels above your level (so, for right now, nothing about item-level 6), that would be great. They don't all have to be combat oriented either (though most will have some combat use). Thanks!Brian Zunigahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00921685129806166906noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-58719660833266773062009-06-16T10:58:00.000-07:002009-06-16T13:49:42.705-07:00Quasi-Zombie JamboreeAs we made our way back to Winterhaven in the orange glow of the setting sun, I reviewed our situation.<br /><br />We had found Bolgar and sent him back home, which was good. We had found a mysterious mirror, which was, ummm, mysterious. We had defeated the kobolds and slain an orc, which was good. We had discovered a plot to eat the inhabitants of Winterhaven, which was good. Well, it was good that we discovered the plot, not so good that people were going to be eaten. I’m firmly against the eating of people, just in case anyone was wondering. Not that I campaign against it, but I would certainly not vote for any elected official where cannibalism was on their platform.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Now the trick was to stop the wanton consumption of Winterhaven’s residents. We didn’t have much to go on other than the vague mention of a spy in Irontooth’s note from Kalarel. Our original consensus was to confront the surly elf, Ninaran, since it seemed impossible that someone that grumpy wasn’t up to SOMETHING. But we needed to look at all of our options. Who else could be involved in this? I ran through the possible suspects in my head.<br /><br />Sylvana Wrafton? Seemed unlikely. Her business thrived on more patrons visiting her inn, so I imagine that having people get eaten would drive profits down. I crossed her off my list.<br /><br />Eilian? I don’t know what his motivation would be, other than money, but he did know the town better than anyone else. He could be a valuable informant to anyone attempting an attack on Winterhaven. I kept him on my suspect list.<br /><br />Valthrun? Based on his scholarly demeanor, he seemed the most inclined to be involved in something arcane, and his interest in the mirror seemed genuine. It was possible he was helping to engineer some crazy magic ritual. I couldn’t eliminate him from suspicion either.<br /><br />Bairwin? Like Sylvana, it seemed inconsistent that someone who ran a general store would aid in something that resulted in fewer customers. But maybe he was getting business from this Kalarel fellow. It’s possible that he was promised something in return for his cooperation. Couldn’t rule him out.<br /><br />Mayor/Lord/His Highness Padraig? This had some possibilities. He seemed rather obsessed with power, based on his overwhelming pride in the relatively obscure town that he presided over. If someone (or someTHING) had promised that Winterhaven would be the new epicenter of power in the region, I could see Padraig helping out Kalarel. Another prime suspect.<br /><br />My brain started careening helplessly through other possibilities. Well, other than Sylvana, who wasn’t on my list? The flower vendor, Delphina? Maybe she was secretly growing poisonous herbs for Kalarel! The guards at Padraig’s manor? They could be disgruntled from working for that blowhard “lord” for so long and now were planning a coup! The town coroner? He would have access to lots of corpses and could be providing the bodies for some huge undead resurrection festival! The town poopsmith?!?! He would...<br /><br />“Taran?”<br /><br />I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Lotheryn’s voice.<br /><br />“What? Huh?” I stammered as I regained my bearings. I had been so wrapped up in my paranoid mental witch hunt that I hadn’t even noticed the druid walking next to me.<br /><br />“I heard you muttering back here, so I thought I would see if you were well,” she said, a look of concern on her face. Then she raised an eyebrow. “Who, or what, exactly, is a ‘poopsmith’?”<br /><br />Unable to help myself, I grinned sheepishly. “It’s actually a funny character from a book my mother would read to me and my sister when we were children. The Poopsmith and another character called the King of Town would do silly things. I remember the first time I read that book to my sister; I tried to give the characters funny voices and Aralee just laughed and laughed. She loved those stories…” My grin faded. I quickly looked up at the trees, trying to steel my heart against the flood of emotions that always washed over me when I thought of Aralee. I was silent for a moment, waiting to speak until I knew my voice wouldn’t quaver. Finally I continued, “I don’t know why that name came into my head just now. I was considering candidates for the spy and my mind went a little out of control. I know Ninaran is the prime suspect, but it could be anyone, Lotheryn.”<br /><br />“I know. We must not be too quick to judge, lest we inflict some injustice on an innocent person. We must also be very cautious,” she warned. That was certainly the truth.<br /><br />Just before we got back to town, we all agreed that we would not mention the note or anything about our knowledge of a rift or a spy until we were certain we knew who was involved in the plot. That approach would severely limit our ability to get answers, but we couldn’t afford to tip off the infiltrator.<br /><br />It was early evening by the time we got onto Winterhaven’s main street. The vendors were closing down their shops, but there were a good amount of people just milling about - more than usual. There was something bothering me about the way they were acting. At this time of day, people did not just loiter about on the street; most would be making their way either to their home or to a drinking establishment of some sort. But these people were just aimlessly wandering like confused zombies. Blank, dismal stares greeted us whenever we made eye contact with one of them. The air around me was a heavy, oppressive weight on my shoulders; whether that was a result of moisture in the air or this city-wide funk that had consumed Winterhaven’s populace, I couldn’t say.<br /><br />“Their eyes are so dead,” whispered Alassë as she looked around nervously. Sariel nodded silently, her lighthearted nature drowned in the sea of lifelessness. There were several people who didn’t appear to have succumbed to this weird phenomenon, but these were mostly hurrying on their way home, keeping their eyes focused squarely on the road in front of them so as to avoid being haunted by the stares of the passersby. <br /><br />Finally, I pulled one of the quasi-zombies aside. “What’s going on with everyone? Are you alright?”<br /><br />“I…don’t know. Feel…strange. There’s this fog…”said the man in flat tone. I was unnerved by the way he stared right through me, not seeming to even see my face two feet away from his. Without another word he turned away and meandered off, joining the others.<br /><br />“What are we supposed to do now?” Alassë asked, continuing to look concerned. <br /><br />I looked at Sariel, who just shrugged. Apparently Garl hadn’t been as forthcoming with information recently.<br /><br />“Well,” I said, “There’s an old saying. ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get drunk.’ Or something like that.”<br /><br />Lotheryn just rolled her eyes as Alassë scowled at me. “That is NOT a solution. What we need is to get some clerics in here, do some serious prayer vigils, obtain some holy water…”<br /><br />“I’m exaggerating!” I interrupted before the half elf could wax theological about Torm’s cleansing rituals. “But we really should go to the inn and talk to Sylvana Wrafton. Maybe she’ll have some information for us.” I began to move in that direction. Alassë was still frowning but she followed along. <em>Holy water</em>, I thought, shaking my head. <em>What are we going to do, bathe them?</em><br /><br />Unfortunately, Sylvana was about as much help as the brain-dead guy we’d talked to earlier. She was clearly suffering less from the illness that affected the others, but she was in no mood to banter. The tavern was empty as we walked in, and Sylvana gave us an angry glance by means of greeting. We got the full brunt of her frustration when we asked what was going on.<br /><br />“Whaddya mean, ‘what’s goin’ on’? I’m sure I’ve no idea!” she said in an icy tone. “Alls I know is that bis’nis been in the privy since y’all was in here a couple days ago. You wanna know ‘what’s goin’ on’?” This last question was laced with biting sarcasm. <br /><br />She continued, “Go talk to one of them meatheads walkin’ round outside if y’all want ta know. Now if you’ll ‘scuse me, I’ve some cleanin’ ta do and I ain’t feelin’ quite right myself.” <br /><br />We left in a hurry. I muttered a comment about it being Sylvana’s “time of the month,” but that was met with more glares, this time from my female companions. Malak would have appreciated that joke.<br /><br />Our next plan was to check out Bairwin’s Grande Shoppe. We got only slightly more information there than we had at Wrafton’s Inn. When we arrived, we found Eilian and Bairwin talking in hushed tones. Although they were more cordial than the innkeeper, their answers were short and unhelpful. Essentially they told us what we already knew: people were walking around in some weird mental fog and no one could figure it out. Lotheryn asked where Ninaran lived, saying that we desired to call on him, but neither could tell us where his apartment was. Eilian looked pale, as if he might be contracting the Winterhaven disease, but he was still lucid enough to ask how the kobold problem was coming along.<br /><br />“Great!” I told him. “We took care of those buggers with no problem. Winterhaven won’t need to worry about them any more.”<br /><br />“Well, that’s some good news,” the man said. “When this little episode passes, the town should be back to normal. Padraig will certainly want word of this.”<br /><br />We purchased a few more potions from Bairwin and began to leave. Just before we got out the door, I acted on a hunch.<br /><br />“Say, neither of you has heard the name Kalarel, have you?” I watched closely for their reactions. Both looked confused, but neither gave any indication that the name meant anything to them. <br /><br />Eilian glanced at Bairwin, who shook his head. “No, we’ve never heard that name. Why? Does that name mean something?” Eilian asked.<br /><br />I had to tread carefully here. “No, no, it’s probably nothing. Something one of the kobolds growled as he was dying. I probably heard it wrong; they speak in gibberish most of the time anyway.” I was lying through my teeth, but neither seemed in the mental state to read through it. I thanked them for their time and joined the others outside. So much for that hunch.<br /><br />It was quickly determined that our next visit had to be to Valthrun. The scholar might have found something about our mirror that would help us. I vaguely recalled from one of our previous conversations that he had mentioned an abandoned keep to the north of town that had once been the site of some evil or another. Supposedly it was empty now, but it was probably the best place to start if we were going to look for diabolical rift-opening and people-eating. Maybe ol’ Valthrun could provide more information.<br /><br />When we got to the scholar’s tower, we noticed light emanating from one of the midlevels of the structure. I knocked loudly on the door and heard rustling and footsteps. <br /><br />“Coming! Coming!” came Valthrun’s muffled voice from behind the heavy wooden door. When the bespectacled man finally opened it, he looked careworn and a bit disheveled. But he seemed glad enough that the five of us were on his doorstep.<br /><br />“Oh! You’re back from your adventure with the kobolds. How did that go?” he asked. He seemed to look across the street for a moment as a frown touched his lips. But it was gone so quickly that I may have been mistaken.<br /><br />“It went well,” I answered. “We took care of them. Winterhaven shouldn’t be bothered any more.” I was tired of this small talk. We’d gotten nothing from anyone in the town and we needed answers. I got right to the point. “So have you found anything out about our mirror? And is there anything you can tell us about this weird fog that seems to have invaded everyone’s brain?”<br /><br />Valthrun again looked over my shoulder before responding, “Well, I’m not sure about the fog, but I do indeed have some answers about…um, the mirror. Yes.” There was a long moment of silence.<br /><br />“Well…may we come in to discuss those answers?” I asked impatiently.<br /><br />“Oh, where are my manners? Of course, you can come up to my parlour,” he said, giving one more glance past us. As he turned and led us into his tower, I glanced in the same general direction. Across the street was Ninaran, and he was in close conversation with an elf woman we had seen around town. It was the flower saleswoman, Delphina. In fact, as I recalled, Lotheryn had purchased some flowers from her when we first got to Winterhaven. She seemed a nice enough woman at the time, even remarking to Lotheryn that she would be happy to give her a tour of some of the area’s flora, if Lotheryn was interested (which of course she was).<br /><br />So what was she doing talking to that scoundrel, Ninaran? And why was Valthrun so interested in them? Could Valthrun be in league with Ninaran? Maybe they were both spies! I made eye contact with Lotheryn. The druid’s concerned look told me that she had also seen the two elves across the street.<br /><br /><em>Should I go?</em> She mouthed as she inclined her head slightly toward Ninaran and Delphina. I shook my head no. It was too risky now that Valthrun had invited us in. If Valthrun was involved in this mess, any attempt to confront Ninaran in public could give us away. We would have to get what we could out of the scholar and try to track the elf down later. I followed Lotheryn over the threshold and into Valthrun’s home.<br /><br />The scholar led us up the stairs. On each floor there was a landing that led to a closed door. There were five floors in Valthrun’s tower, and when we got to the fifth, he opened the door into a large room furnished with couches on one side and a long table on the other. He lit some sconces, invited us to make ourselves comfortable, grabbed our mirror off the table and sat down across from us.<br /><br />“Alright, doc,” I started, “Let’s hear the secret behind the mirror. Does it talk or anything like that?”<br /><br />“Oh no no no, nothing that extravagant,” Valthrun chuckled. “It was used for magical purposes, even though there’s no magic inherent in the mirror. But before I get to that, let me ask you, did you discover anything about the kobolds that was interesting? Was there anything odd about the invasion of Winterhaven?”<br /><br />Lotheryn looked out the window. Alassë frowned and stared at her boots. Anca appeared disinterested in the question. I cleared my throat and focused on some ornate tapestries. Only Sariel made eye contact with Valthrun, smiling that familiar confident smile of hers.<br /><br />“Well?” Valthrun tried again. “Anything?”<br /><br />“Of course not!” Sariel said, flashing her smile at the scholar. “Just a bunch of filthy, crazy kobolds that are no longer physically able to do much stealing, or much of anything for that matter. Nothing odd.”<br /><br />“Hrm, well, I just thought maybe…” he trailed off. “Never mind. Before I tell you exactly what the mirror was used for, let me give you a little background. That keep I told you about earlier, the one to the north of town? Well, that was an old outpost of the Nareth Empire, meant to protect the region from raiders to the north. It did its job for countless years until it was over-run, many centuries ago, by an evil lord. This lord opened a rift in the basement of the keep. This rift was a link, a sort of portal, if you will, that allowed demonic and undead creatures from a different plane to enter this world. These creatures terrorized the local populace until a group of five wizards allied themselves together and set about destroying this danger.<br /><br />“That’s where your mirror comes in,” Valthrun said, looking at each of us. “The mirror was used by the wizards as a means of scrying the rift in order to best plan their assault on the keep.”<br /><br />“’Scrying’?” Alassë said, confused. “What is that?”<br /><br />“It’s a means of using arcane arts to see what is happening at another place. When you use a scrying spell, as long as you know who, what, or where you are trying to scry, you will see all the activity taking place around the target of the spell. It can be done with virtually any reflective surface – a mirror, a crystal ball, a glass of water, even – but you get a much better picture if you use a better surface. This mirror, which appears to be of fine, Valyrian-era craftsmanship, showed about as much detail as you could hope to see. Well, the wizards scried until they obtained enough information about the activity in the keep’s basement to ensure that their assault on the keep was successful. The evil lord was killed and the rift was closed. The wizards then built a series of catacombs around the rift, as a means of hiding it, and left guards to ensure that no one could reopen it.<br /><br />“Years went by and the Nareth Empire gradually failed. The keep was eventually left unattended, but, peace having descended on the region, the local populace had forgotten why it was there in the first place. And most of them had never known what was underneath,” the scholar said, looking somewhat uncomfortable as he told this last part. He fiddled with his glasses and looked out the window, much as Lotheryn had done moments ago.<br /><br />“You okay, doc?” I asked, as warning bells went off in my mind. Something was clearly bothering the man.<br /><br />“Oh nothing, nothing. Just getting a tad hungry,” Valthrun said, laughing nervously. “Anyway, like all ancient, abandoned buildings, it earned a vague reputation as being haunted, but there it sits, empty, no one going near except maybe Delphina on a flower-picking mission. Nice flowers grow up there, though.”<br /><br />I honestly didn’t give a troll’s crap about the flowers, but his story seemed to make sense. And it certainly jived with what we already knew from Irontooth’s note about someone opening a rift. If this Kalarel was successful in re-opening the portal, we could have all sorts of crazy things running around Winterhaven, making snacks out of the citizens. The process of opening the rift could be the reason why everyone was walking around in a daze. It didn’t seem to be having much effect on Valthrun, but it had already become obvious that some people were stricken more than others.<br /><br />I was nodding distractedly as Valthrun asked if we wanted to stay and share some roast pheasant with him. I realized the importance now of finding the spy (who I was sure had to be Ninaran, possibly with help from Delphina, but who could have other allies in the town as well), and getting as much information as we could. I caught Lotheryn’s eye. The look she gave me let me know that she understood the same thing. As the rest of us moved to join Valthrun at the table, she hesitated.<br /><br />“Anca and I will join you shortly, but I am afraid we require a breath of fresh air. Anca becomes restless when he sits indoors for long periods of time. If you will be so kind as to excuse us…” Lotheryn finished, looking expectantly at Valthrun.<br /><br />“Of course! Before you arrived, I was re-reading my dissertation on applied theories of arcane rituals in isolated halfling societies. There are a few new ideas I had that I would love to run by you,” the scholar said excitedly. Lotheryn smiled as she and Anca left the room. I groaned inwardly. This was going to be the worst pheasant dinner I ever had.<br /><br />The druid and her warden returned several minutes later. Valthrun was in the midst of a , ahem, “riveting” anecdote about the pattern of familiar use among halfling mages living in the lowlands of Kalorn. The scholar was distracted enough by his own story that I was able to have a whispered exchange with Lotheryn as she sat down beside me.<br /><br />“Ninaran?” I asked softly.<br /><br />“Gone,” she whispered back.<br /><br />Damn. There went that plan. Time to improvise. I still thought there was a chance that Valthrun could be involved in this. He’d certainly given us a lot of information, but that could be a trap. I decided to find out for myself.<br /><br />“I’m going to need a minute too, doc. One of the spices on the pheasant isn’t sitting well.” I pounded my chest and coughed for emphasis.<br /><br />Valthrun looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “The only thing on the pheasant is salt.”<br /><br />“Well, salt doesn’t agree with me,” I snapped. “I’ll be back.”<br /><br />Valthrun shrugged and went back to his dissertation. <em>Wow that was boring</em>, I thought as I left. Now to find out what this guy was up to. I snuck down to the third floor, where we had seen the light from outside the tower. I couldn’t hear anything behind the door. I tried the handle and noticed it was unlocked. <em>Here goes.</em><br /><br />I entered a vast library, dimly lit by several candles on a desk in one corner. <em>I could spend years in here and read only a tiny fraction of these books</em>, I thought as I looked around at shelf after shelf of thick, leather-bound tomes. I knew that it would be useless to look for anything specific on those shelves, so I made my way to the desk. On it I saw an old book, very worn by time and use. I flipped through the pages, skimming here and there. It seemed to be telling the same story that Valthrun had just related to us. I saw a picture of the five wizards, huddled around the very mirror we had found. I had just made up my mind that I was going to find no additional information when I opened to a page that had one large image – it showed a man in fine white armor, standing next to a dark oval that might have been the rift. Flames shot from the eye-slits in the man’s helm.<br /><br /><em>Valthrun didn’t mention THAT.</em> I knew I didn’t have time to read further or I would be missed upstairs. I left the room as silently as I had come and rejoined the party. Valthrun was still happily chatting away. Alassë was nodding at her place at the table, on the verge of falling asleep. Sariel had plastered a smile on her face, trying to appear interested in the scholar’s words. Lotheryn and Anca both looked anxious to leave.<br /><br />“Ah, Taran! I was just getting to the end of my dissertation. I trust your foray outside was peaceful,” Valthrun said. “Where did you go?”<br /><br />“Oh just here and there, down the street a ways,” I lied again. No wonder this guy was a scholar. He had a lot of questions, most of which were an inconvenience. <br /><br />I had decided it was time to be on our way. Valthrun wasn’t giving us more information, and it was impossible to tell whether or not the man was in the employ of Kalarel. If we couldn’t track Ninaran (doubtful, at this time of night on city streets; that was too much even for MY training), we could go see Padraig, hopefully wring a reward out of him, then head to the inn for a good night’s sleep, and make our assault on the keep in the morning. It was clear that if we really wanted to help these townspeople, keeping the rift from opening was our new mission.<br /><br />“Thank you for your hospitality, Valthrun,” I said with a bow, “but we really must be going. We have to see Lord Padraig before we retire for the night.”<br /><br />“A shame, I have a stew that’s almost ready. Are you sure you won’t join me?”<br /><br />“No,”Lotheryn, Sariel, and Alassë said simultaneously. <br /><br />“Oh, well, alright. If you must. But before you leave, one last question,” Valthrun said. I swallowed hard. I really hope he didn’t suspect anything… “Would you mind if I purchased that mirror from you? It is quite a regional heirloom, not to mention a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. I could offer you 500 gold for the item?”<br /><br />I whistled inwardly. That was a lot of cash. I asked Valthrun for a minute and drew my companions aside.<br /><br />“What do you guys think?” I asked. “I say we sell it.”<br /><br />“I agree,” said Lotheryn. “As we discovered ourselves, there is nothing magical about the mirror itself, so even if he is involved, I don’t see how he could use it to hurt us.”<br /><br />Sariel was shaking her head. “There might be things he’s not telling us. What if the mirror has other properties that we don’t know about?”<br /><br />I threw up my hands in exasperation. “It’s a mirror, for crying out loud! What’s he going to do, scry us to death? He’s about to pay us 500 gold for it! If we refuse him now, he’s going to KNOW we suspect him. So let’s just make our money and get out of here!”<br /><br />Alassë and Lotheryn voiced their approval. Sariel crossed her arms over her chest, seeming ready to fight the decision, but she finally relented. “Alright, sell it. But when this comes back to bite us, don’t look at me to save you.” <br /><br />Valthrun had apparently sold enough copies of his dissertation to be a wealthy man. He handed us our gold and we left his tower. I quickly walked across the street to where I had seen the elves conversing. As I suspected, Ninaran and Delphina had left no discernable markings by which to track them. I cursed inwardly at the missed opportunity to interrogate them both. We would just have to make do with the precious little information we had.<br /><br />We proceeded to Padraig’s manor. This had been a long day and I couldn’t say I was particularly in the mood to talk to the weasel, but I knew two things. One, he might pay us. And two, we certainly weren’t going to have time to talk to him tomorrow, when we were going to have to save the town from becoming all-you-can-eat demon buffet.<br /><br />When we arrived, the guards gave us the usual spiel about needing an appointment and Padraig being asleep, blah blah blah. When I told them that Padraig would want to hear news of us slaying the kobolds and driving them from the area, they got really excited and began dancing about, giving us cheers. <em>Idiots.</em><br /><br />“So does that mean we can see Padraig?” I asked irritably. Not only had it been a long day, but Sylvana had been so crabby that I didn’t even get a chance to enjoy some of her fine ale. I could have used a couple pints right about then.<br /><br />The guards happily let us through the gates and sent word to Padraig. We were ushered into his study. The “lord” himself appeared shortly after, tying a robe around his waste and rubbing sleep from his eyes. As with Valthrun, he exhibited few symptoms of the city-wide malady.<br /><br />“Well, what news?” he demanded. I liked this man less every time I encountered him.<br /><br />We gave Padraig the same story we had given the others, explaining how we dispatched the kobolds, but leaving out the part about Irontooth and Kalarel. Padraig seemed genuinely pleased.<br /><br />“Splendid! Before long this town will be back to normal. I’ll tell you what, since you did such fine work, I’ll pay for dinner at Wrafton’s!” The small man held out his hands as if he was giving us the keys to the city.<br /><br />Dinner!?!? Was he &$^*#*& serious? I had no desire to blackmail anyone or hold the town hostage, but after all we’d endured, he was going to buy us soup and salad? Unbelievable.<br /><br />I could tell that Lotheryn and Sariel felt the same way. Alassë didn’t look quite as angry, but the cleric didn’t look happy about it either. I was just about to raise my objection when the fifth member of our party stepped forward.<br /><br />Anca growled menacingly as he moved his face inches from Padraig’s. The shifter held up his money pouch and shook it with unmistakable meaning. Lord Padraig was no longer quite so pleased.<br /><br />“What is this thing doing?” he protested. “Get it out of my face!”<br /><br />“Anca pretty much does what he wants,” I interjected. “He travels with us and fights valiantly at our side, but we don’t really have any control over him. In fact, this one time, I saw him rip the arms off of this gnoll who had already surrendered his weapon. And then there was the time he bit through the neck…”<br /><br />“Enough!” Padraig shouted, his face beading with sweat. “Tell your friend that I do not mean to be cheap. I am merely trying to do what is right for my people.” Anca moved away slightly but continued to bare his teeth in a snarl. Padraig composed himself as best he could and then continued, “I will make you this deal. I will give you 100 gold pieces, as much as the town can afford, and I will pay your bill at Wrafton’s for as long as you stay in town,” he concluded. There was a brief pause as his inner businessman kicked into gear. “As long as that’s less than a week,” he added suddenly.<br /><br />I looked at Anca, who retreated to Lotheryn’s side and stopped growling. “Deal,” I said.<br /><br />Padraig went to his desk and counted out the gold, grumbling the whole time. He got one last pointed remark in as he handed us the bag, “I hope you appreciate it. With this sickness going around, the town may be quite poor for awhile, despite the absence of the kobolds.”<br /><br />“We might be able to take care of the sickness, too,” I said casually. I regretted the statement immediately. We still didn’t know who was involved in the opening of the rift. For all we knew, it could be Padraig. The man looked at me sharply.<br /><br />“How is that?” he asked. “Our scholars and physicians have been unable to diagnose anything. What is it that you know?” <br /><br />I hesitated. Should I give this man any indication of what the note said? Or should I lie again? Before I could answer, Sariel pulled me aside.<br /><br />“If we’re going to help him again, he needs to promise us more money,” she whispered. “This is going to be dangerous. Even Garl can’t give me a full sense of the evil that we’ll be fighting. We are going to need more than a lousy 100 gold pieces from this man, even if it comes from his own overstuffed coffers.”<br /><br />The eladrin had a point. I made up my mind to go for it.<br /><br />I cleared my throat. “We have reason to believe that we can end the fog that has been plaguing your people the last few days – for a price, of course.”<br /><br />Padraig narrowed his eyes, “I’m listening.”<br /><br />“We found evidence that someone may be opening some sort of portal to the underworld, and we thought it might be related to that keep north of town…”<br /><br />“That keep has been abandoned for centuries!” he exclaimed.<br /><br />I continued, “Well, that’s what we were told at first too, but then when Valthrun told us about…”<br /><br />“WAIT! Valthrun knows about this?” the lord was shouting now, spittle flying furiously from his lips. “THAT’S IT! Guards! Bring me Valthrun, immediately! We’re going to get to the bottom of this.” He stared at us coldly. “No more secrets from you. I’m going to dress, but when I get back, you WILL tell me everything.” He stormed off in a fit.<br /><br />I tried to ignore the incredulous stares from my companions, but I couldn’t for very long.<br /><br />“What?” I shouted. “What do you guys want from me?”<br /><br />“I thought we were trying to avoid revealing that information,” Alassë said, gesturing angrily in my direction. “Against my deepest inclinations, we have been lying to ensure our safety. And now that has all been thrown away.”<br /><br />I looked at Lotheryn for help, but she just turned away. I was going to get no reliefe there.<br /><br />“Well, what if Padraig’s the spy? What if he made up that whole kobold thing just to get us out of the way?” I was desparate now. “Let’s make a run for it. We can probably overpower the guards…”<br /><br />Sariel laughed bitterly. “And have the entire town turned against us? Garl is good to me, but if I got in a mess like that, I’m not sure he would stick around to bail me out.”<br /><br />Now it was my turn to be angry, “This was YOUR idea, avenger. You were the one who said I should ask for more money!”<br /><br />“Don’t put this on me, <em>ranger</em>,” she shot right back. “You put your foot in your mouth when you mentioned that we could help cure the town in the first place. I was just trying to redeem your mistake.”<br /><br />I fought the urge to knock the eladrin’s smug little grin into next week. Not only would that not help us, but I wasn’t sure that I was quite her match in close combat. Still, it took all my restraint to keep silent as I fumed. <br /><br />Thankfully, Lotheryn stepped in to smooth things over. “What is done is done. The earth holds memories of many wrongs and yet still produces for one when she asks. If the earth can forgive eons of torture, we can forgive these small misdeeds,” said the druid calmly. “We still have every reason to suspect that Ninaran is the spy. I think we should tell Padraig and Valthrun the entire truth and be on our way.”<br /><br />Lotheryn was right. We would need to tell everything. It was only a minute or two of uncomfortable silence before Valthrun was unceremoniously tossed into the study. Padraig followed close behind.<br /><br />“Alright, I don’t know what it is you “heroes” have been hiding from me, but you’d better come out with it,” he said the word heroes derisively, as more of an insult than anything else. It seemed like every time this guy opened his mouth I was getting more irritated.<br /><br />I looked at Valthrun, who still seemed shocked to even be there. “Well, doc, you better start. Tell him what you told us about the keep.”<br /><br />“I don’t see why…” the scholar started.<br /><br />“Just tell him.”<br /><br />Valthrun related his story. When he finished, everyone turned expectantly to me. I unveiled our secret about Irontooth and his note from Kalarel. I told them that we were certain whatever activity was going on to open the rift was causing Winterhaven’s residents to walk around in a stupor. The only thing I declined to mention was the spy. If there was one card I could keep from playing, I would do it. If one of them was the spy, better that they think their involvement still secret.<br /><br />Padraig paced back and forth, agitated. He didn’t appear angry any more, but he was definitely concerned by this new information. Valthrun looked like he was about to throw up.<br /><br />Finally, Padraig spoke, “I can’t believe this was kept from me. This is something the lord of a great city like Winterhaven should know!” I barely kept myself from snickering at that last remark. He stopped pacing and looked directly at me. “So are you through? Is that all? Anything ELSE I might need to know?”<br /><br />I kept silent, but Valthrun couldn’t any longer.<br /><br />“I’m sorry, my lord, but there is one more thing I declined to reveal earlier. You see, there is something else beneath the keep…” the scholar wrung his hands as he began.<br /><br />“Is this something else dressed in white armor and have flame shooting from its eyes?” I asked casually. <br /><br />“H-how did you…? B-but…?” Valthrun stammered as he and everyone else looked at me.<br /><br />“Lucky guess. Just tell us what you know.” I wasn’t about to admit my earlier snooping. I had gotten in enough trouble for one night.<br /><br />Valthrun began another tale. Apparently, when the wizards had sealed the rift, they left a knight and his household to keep watch. This responsibility was passed down through several generations. Finally, it passed to an incredibly strong knight named Sir Keegan. One black night, without warning, Sir Keegan woke from his slumber. He donned his armor, unsheathed his greatsword, and went to his wife. Without a word, he slew her. He proceeded to do the same to his children, his captain of the guard, his steward, and every other living thing in the keep. He was a machine of war and he had gone mad, possibly driven to insanity by the whisperings of the rift itself. Finally, the local garrison was warned of Keegan’s madness, and they stormed the keep en masse, wounding the mad knight and driving him into the catacombs. The garrison reported later that he seemed possessed and flame appeared to burst forth from his helm.<br /><br />The soldiers that subdued him did not pursue him into the basement. They had lost a number of men already and felt a sense of dread just being down there. They sealed off the lower portions of the keep to ensure that Keegan could not escape. If whatever demon entered him caused him to become immortal, it was entirely possible that Sir Keegan was still wandering the catacombs.<br /><br />“I did not tell you earlier,” the scholar said apologetically, “Because I suspected that the sickness might be emanating from the tower. I also suspected that you adventurers meant to go there to end it. I was afraid that revealing this to you might deter you from your mission.”<br /><br />“Bah, a flaming knight doesn’t scare us. We’ll handle him,” I said with false bravado. What was one more stretched truth in a day full of lies?<br /><br />Padraig looked at us seriously. “This is a tall task that you have volunteered to perform, and I know you put yourselves at great peril for the sake of Winterhaven’s people. Given that, I think we can manage to take a collection and, upon your safe return, pay you 200 more gold pieces for ridding us of this evil. Will that suffice?” It wasn’t a TON, but maybe this Padraig guy was a bit better than I gave him credit for. <br /><br />I looked at my fellow “heroes,” to gauge their reaction. They all nodded silently.<br /><br />“It’s a deal,” I said, shaking the lord’s hand. “We’ll rest tonight at Wrafton’s and begin first thing in the morning.”<br /><br />“Thank you Taran, Sariel, Alassë, and, ahem, Anca,” he hesitated slightly before saying the shifter’s name. That gave me some measure of satisfaction. As we turned to leave, Padraig asked one more question. “By the way, does your adventuring party have a name? What should I call your group?”<br /><br />I said the first thing that popped into my head. <br /><br />“The Final Five.”<br /><br />“The Final Five, huh? I like that,” Lord Padraig nodded in approval. “Good luck to you all.”<br /><br />We left the manor and walked Valthrun back to his tower before turning for the inn. As we walked away from the scholar’s home, Lotheryn turned to me.<br /><br />“The Final Five?” she said, questioning.<br /><br />I just shrugged. “Pretty catchy, isn’t it? Maybe Garl put it in my head.”<br /><br />Sariel laughed, “Garl would have thought of something better than that, my friend.”<br /><br />Well, maybe so, but the Final Five was what we would be. I just hoped we were around long enough that someone besides Padraig could call us that. Tomorrow was going to be another tough day. <br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-4748420923828882052009-06-02T20:55:00.000-07:002009-06-05T09:46:23.631-07:00Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls (cause there's a crapload of kobolds back there)As we made our way around the side of the waterfall and into the cavern, we began to hear activity inside. Anca led us forward, cautiously inching along the damp wall until we could see dim lighting at the end of the tunnel. Sounds of many creatures growling and yelping reached our ears and confirmed our suspicions – we’d found the kobold lair.<br /><br />I put a finger to my lips to quiet everyone as we crept to end of the tunnel. We saw a rough cavern in front of us, with several open rooms. Near the back of the cavern, the hewn rock floors and walls gave way to impressive stonework, indicating that at one time this was more than just a simple kobold hideout. There were dozens of kobolds scurrying chaotically about just at the edge of our sightline. <span class="fullpost"> <br /><br />I took this all in in a second, but what grabbed my immediate attention were the ten kobold minions and three larger kobolds facing the entryway that provided our current hiding place. They had weapons drawn and although they seemed to be glancing back and forth nervously, they were clearly ready for us. That last kobold had apparently done its job: the screaming and yelling about something called Irontooth had alerted its friends. And now it was going to be a lot harder for us to do OUR job.<br /><br />I looked around at my companions. Sariel wore that same little smirk on her face and had her falchion gripped casually in both hands. Alassë was alternating between glancing nervously into the cavern and looking upward as she muttered prayers. Anca’s lips were parted in a wolfish grin, and he had a glitter in his yellow eyes that told me he was ready for blood. Lotheryn was calm and collected, working out in her mind the best way to survive this assault. I shared my thoughts with them.<br /><br />“They know we're here, but they don’t realize what they’re in for,” I said, trying to sound encouraging. “We can handle them. Here’s my basic plan. I’m going to creep to the edge of the tunnel and take a quick shot or two at the big ugly one across from us. Anca, try to keep those little guys from overwhelming us. Alassë and Lotheryn, focus on taking down the big ones, but be careful for the minions. They’re quick and there are a lot of them. Sariel, you do whatever it is Gary Glitter tells you to do." (This brought an eye roll from the eladrin.) "I’ll be taking shots at anything that tries to get to close to us.” I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt. There were A LOT of kobolds in there. And we still had no idea what Irontooth was.<br /><br />Everyone seemed comfortable with the plan, which was good, because I didn’t have a plan B. Heck, my plan A wasn’t even all that impressive. I inched forward to the edge of the shadows. The light inside the cavern was dim; several sputtering torches gave off the only illumination. I silently thanked my mother for my heritage, my half-elven eyes allowing me to see things much clearer than others could. I knelt down just at the edge of the tunnel, nocked two arrows to my bow, took aim at the nearest large kobold, the one that was staring right at me and snarling…<br /><br /><em>Uh oh.</em> <br /><br />With a shriek, it and the other creatures rushed towards us. I loosed the arrows, striking it with both, but without the careful aim I was hoping to take. He kept coming at me. With a howl, Anca leaped over my head and moved left, intercepting the kobold I had hit and keeping the onrushing minions at bay. In less than 10 seconds, he was completely surrounded. Sariel headed right, singling out another of the large kobolds as her target. Alassë moved past and was headed to the fray when I heard Lotheryn cry out.<br /><br />“Anca, no!!!” she yelled. The druid’s face was wrenched in anguish as she watched the kobolds swarm onto Anca, prodding him with their spears. She begin to chant, calling on Nature’s power to save the shifter. Before she could complete her spell, Anca roared savagely and exploded up from out of the middle of the pile of kobolds, swinging his hammer mightily. When he stopped swinging, none of the kobolds surrounding him remained alive, and bodies of the creatures lay crumpled about him.<br /><br />Unfortunately, kobolds are dumb animals, and while the display of fury made them hesitate, it didn’t stop them. Several more came to replace the dead. Alassë and Lotheryn went to help Anca, who had retreated several steps into a better defensive position. I looked over and saw Sariel trapped between the other two larger kobolds. I drew my flail and short sword and went to help her.<br /><br />Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something odd. Where once there had been chaos in the back of the cavern, there was now none. All of the kobolds that had been scampering about had either joined the battle or had escaped into hidden tunnels somewhere.<br /><br /><em>Strange</em>, I thought as I took a swing at one of the beasts with my flail. <em>Where did those suckers get off to?</em><br /><br />That thought was pushed out my head by the faint sound of ominous, rhythmic drumbeats emanating from somewhere deep in the cavern.<br /><br />I didn’t really have time to consider this new development as the kobold in front of me narrowly missed my arm with a thrust of his spear. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t seem to get these guys off of Sariel, who was no longer smiling, I noticed. She was struggling to deal with her sworn foe, and she was bleeding from numerous places. This is what happened when you trusted a crazy gnome god to help you fight your battles. <br /><br />“Is Garl playing a joke on YOU now?” I asked snidely as I watched a kobold parry her blow. <br /><br />“Garl’s jokes are actually funny – not that you would know,” she shot back. It was pretty clear that the avenger wasn’t happy with the way things were going. But I had to admit, if we couldn’t finish these things off soon, there wouldn’t be anything funny about this at all. <br /><br />The drumbeats grew louder. <em>Boom. Boom. Boom.</em><br /><br />I noticed the sound again as I drew blood with a jab of my short sword. I was still too busy to pay it much attention. At the same time, Anca, Lotheryn and Alassë finished off the kobolds they had been fighting, leaving Anca free to lend us a hand with the three that Sariel and I were grappling with: two of the bigger ones and a minion that kept jumping around and making a pest of himself. The shifter still had that “look” in his eye, and his snarling charge toward us distracted my foe enough that I got in a shot with my flail, knocking the kobold to its knees. I raised my weapon, ready to finish the job, when I realized that the drumbeats were loud enough to be reverberating in my ears. I glanced to my left and saw something emerge from the darkness at the back of the cavern.<br /><br />Two extremely large kobolds stepped out, brandishing their spears and holding thick shields with the image of a dragon inlaid in the wood. Another much smaller kobold slunk behind them. Then out of their midst stomped a huge orc, a ram’s head tattooed on his face – the same ram’s head we had seen on the medallion. It was obviously a follower of Orcus, the god of undeath. It held a massive warhammer in both fists. This must be Irontooth.<br /><br />“DEATH!” he shouted in his hideous language. It was certainly not the first time I had heard that word uttered in the orc tongue. The brute glared at us as he motioned his dragonshield warriors forward and followed close behind. The smaller kobold stayed in the shadows and began casting a spell.<br /><br />My blood boiled. I KNEW I smelled something extra foul when I entered the cavern. I should have suspected there was orc-work behind this whole thing. It was all too organized for kobolds. And now I knew why.<br /><br />The kobold in front of me breathed its last as I buried my sword in its chest. I quickly drew my bow. If it was death he wanted, he’d get it. Everything else left my mind as anger flooded hot through my veins. This orc may not have been responsible for the emptiness I felt in my heart, but he would pay for it anyway. Without a second thought, I loosed an arrow that struck the orc in the shoulder. That couldn’t feel good for the orc, although it gave me a grim pleasure.<br /><br />The next few minutes were a blur. I noticed fire flare up around the dragonshield warriors, probably summoned by Lotheryn. Alassë got involved, swinging her morningstar at these new enemies. I had a vague sense that Sariel was badly wounded, and actually fell at one point, but none of that mattered as I loosed arrow after arrow at the orc. The kobold caster was raining fireballs on me, but I didn’t even turn in his direction. My fury consumed me until I noticed that Anca, who was occupying Irontooth’s attention, took a near lethal blow that knocked him unconscious. Seeing the shifter fall was the shock I needed to shake myself free of the enraged trance I had entered.<br /><br />“Lotheryn!” I shouted to the druid. “Help Anca! I’ll distract the orc!” I put my bow away and took out my flail and short sword once again. Sariel was back on her feet and Alassë was praying for Torm’s favor as she fought. Lotheryn’s healing power enabled Anca to stand again. The druid tried to pull him away from the intensity of the battle, but he could not be drawn from the prospect of more blood. With Anca rejoining us, we had the orc surrounded. <br /><br />Finally, the cleric found a gap in Irontooth’s defenses and slammed her weapon into the side of its skull. The orc fell, dead before it hit the ground. Lotheryn and I turned on the kobold caster, which looked around and realized that it was alone. The poor, stupid beast didn’t make it three steps before Lotheryn summoned a blast of cold to freeze it and I brought it down with a couple of well-placed arrows.<br /><br />We were all too tired to say anything for a couple minutes afterwards. The battle had taken all of our strength. I looked at Lotheryn, who gave me a smile. Before I knew it, I was grinning. Then Sariel started giggling and, in our extreme exhaustion, we all joined her in a long laugh. It was good to be alive. <em>Much better than the alternative</em>, I thought as I looked at the piles of bloody kobold corpses.<br /><br />We made a cursory search of the cavern. All of the other kobolds we had seen had escaped through a crack in the back of the cavern. Given that their leader was dead, I doubted they would be back. Sariel and I soon found the chamber that the orc had used as its living space. I hoped nothing else was planning to move in there any time soon. The best thing I could say about the place was that it smelled like the inside of a troll carcass. That’s the BEST thing I could say. The décor was…well, I won’t go into it. “Excretory” is the adjective that comes to mind.<br /><br />We managed to withstand the stench long enough to unearth a sealed chest. I pulled it out of the chamber and Sariel went to work unlocking it. Without much trouble, she sprung the latch and opened the lid.<br /><br />“Nice,” I said, as the avenger admired the dwarven-made chainmail she pulled out of the chest. “That gnomish education sure comes in handy sometimes, huh?”<br /><br />“It has its uses,” she laughed. Just then we heard Lotheryn call out to us.<br /><br />“Come, look. I have found a note in the orc’s pocket,” she said. She handed the crumpled, bloody piece of paper to me. The handwriting was sprawling and thin, and it was penned in the Common tongue. I read it aloud:<br /><br /><em>Irontooth,<br /><br />My spy in Winterhave suggests we keep an eye out for visitors to the area. It probably does not matter; in just a few more days, I’ll completely open the rift. Then Winterhaven’t people will serve as food for all those Lord Orcus sends to do my bidding..<br /><br />Kalarel</em><br /><br />“Serve as food!?!?” Alassë exclaimed. “What kind of terrible person would do this?”<br /><br />“The kind who knows the proper use of a semicolon. Pretty impressive,” I said. The cleric looked at me with horror. “Cmon, I’m just kidding.” <br /><br />Sariel interjected, “Whoever this is, he’s been getting information from someone in Winterhaven. That’s who we need to find.”<br /><br />Lotheryn caught my eye. She said what I was thinking, “Ninaran. I have never met an elf as disagreeable as he. If he is involved in some sort of evil, that would explain his actions toward us.”<br /><br />“That’s where I would start,” I said in agreement. “But we’ll talk about our next move on the way back to town.”<br /><br />As we left, I looked around one last time at the carnage. If I never saw this place again, it would be too soon.<br /></span><em></em>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-46229638384057108522009-05-27T15:32:00.000-07:002009-05-28T16:26:19.744-07:00Winterhaven (Rock & Roll) Parts 1 - 3The hike to Winterhaven was a relatively short one, only three to four hours on foot. After Alassë told us her story, she became lost in her own thoughts, worrying about her friend, Bolgar. Sariel was quiet as well, looking ahead as we walked, a slight smile on her face as if there was some amusing inside joke she was privately enjoying. Lotheryn was her usual quiet self, taking in everything around us, and, as always, looking far more comfortable now that we were out in Nature and not in the middle of a town. Anca led the group forward, silently of course, managing to ensure that Lotheryn was never more than a quick leap away should she need him. I assigned myself as rearguard, trusting Anca to lead us well and keep us from walking into danger. I would make sure nothing was following us. Lotheryn had keen enough ears to detect any traps, but I didn’t know about our two new companions. Better safe than sorry.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Despite that precaution, it was a beautiful day, and I was just appreciating the silent peacefulness when Anca stopped and gave a deep-throated growl. Lotheryn motioned me forward and pointed at the path. As far as I could see, there were small tracks of clawed feet. The trails crossed and crisscrossed so many times as to render pointless an attempt to track any of them. I recognized the tracks immediately.<br /><br />“Kobolds, and a heck of a lot of them,” I said, looking at the others. Lotheryn nodded and Sariel never changed her bemused expression (this was starting to get on my nerves a little bit, but I did my best not to let it show). Alassë, however, looked confused.<br /><br />“Kobolds? I have heard of these creatures, but never encountered them before. What are they?” she asked.<br /><br />“Nasty overgrown rodents basically. They like harassing innocent people, stealing goods from travelers, that sort of thing. It seems that they’ve taken up residence near Winterhaven. I wouldn’t be too worried. They’re not especially bright, but they will defend their territory to the death if they feel threatened. The group of us should be able to handle any of them we see.” This seemed to satisfy the cleric, but I turned away so she wouldn’t see that there were a couple things I hid from her. Number one, I was sure Lotheryn, Anca, and I could handle a small pack of the critters, but I had no idea of Sariel or Alassë’s abilities. The cleric had a deadly-looking morningstar slung at her waist while the avenger’s falchion was more than capable of dealing lethal damage. But the size of the weapon was irrelevant if the person wielding it had no clue what they were doing. I had seen that lesson learned too many times by people who were denied a chance to rectify the problem. If a fight came, I hoped those two could handle themselves because I wasn’t about to spend the whole time making sure they were okay.<br /><br />The second thing I was worried about was Alassë’s friend. Kobolds could be dangerous if you met a large number of them or if you were traveling alone. The creatures had no reason to take prisoners, and generally preferred simply to kill and eat anyone who stumbled into them at unawares. Bolgar was traveling alone and was now missing. I’m no detective, but the circumstantial evidence in this case was not promising.<br /><br />“Garl won’t let us be taken by these creatures before we’ve had a chance to complete our mission.” Sariel offered nonchalantly. “Let’s keep going and see what happens.”<br /><br />I have to admit that I admired her confidence. It was a bit cockier than I was comfortable with, but the eladrin didn’t seem to be careless. She was secure in whatever it was her god had told her. My god, meanwhile, has been leading me around on a wild goose chase for the last 30 years to find a random group of orcs and my sister. You’ll forgive me if I don’t instinctively trust divinely-inspired “visions.”<br /><br />Anyway, I just shrugged, “Like I said, I think we could handle them. There’s no sense in staying here. Let’s keep moving…but I would get your weapons out just in case.” Confidence was one thing, but I wasn’t about to be caught walking into a nest of kobolds without getting at least one shot off.<br /><br />Two minutes later, I got my opportunity. We rounded a bend in the path and there were 6 of them, snarling and looking ready to eat the first thing that came within chewing distance. The kobolds were ready for us. Two of them saw us and immediately threw their spears in our direction. We managed to dodge out of the way, unharmed. <br /><br />Lotheryn was the first to spring into action. With a cold gleam in her eye, she summoned a fire under one of the larger kobolds, burning him badly and completely consuming his smaller companion. Later it would occur to me that this was our first real battle since the druid witnessed the destruction of her Grove. In our previous adventures, Lotheryn was so focused on helping others in battle that she would often go entire fights without directly attacking an enemy. It appeared that those days were over. She still made sure she was available to provide aid should someone require it, but she had developed a hard, deadly edge. Just as she had tapped into forces of Nature to prolong life, she now used that power to destroy her adversaries. I’m not sure how I feel about that.<br /><br />To my left, I saw Sariel standing perfectly still, eyes closed, that same bemused smile on her lips. In the heat of battle, everything slows down; it seemed like the avenger stood there, motionless, for minutes. In reality, it was probably only a second before she opened her eyes and stared directly at one of the kobolds across the road. She muttered something under her breath and sprinted gracefully toward her new nemesis, brandishing her falchion and making quick work of the unsuspecting beast.<br /><br />Anca had also charged left, and occupied the attention of the two other kobolds standing there. I was impressed as he deftly wielded a heavy warhammer in one arm with a large wooden shield strapped to the other. <br /><br /><em>I remember when he obtained both items. Before I went to see about getting a new flail, I asked Anca if he wanted to come and look at some weapons for his own use. He still possessed many wolf-like properties, but he no longer had the weapons-grade claws or fangs that made him dangerous in his previous form. Anca shook his head and uttered something to Lotheryn in the lupine tongue.<br /><br />The druid smiled, a rare occurrence the first few weeks after her tragedy, and translated, “Anca says that Nature will provide what he needs. He does not need the work of men or metal.” Anca looked at me pointedly and then walked into the woods. He returned less than an hour later with the hammer and shield, formed out of the wood of an alder tree. In a display of trust, he handed them to me to inspect. Though made of wood, both items were as hard as steel and perfectly crafted. I handed them back to the shifter and watched as he placed the hammer into our campfire. To my astonishment, it did not burn.</em> <br /><br />Until now, I had never seen him use either of the implements, but he swung the hammer with precision, and the shield seemed almost an extension of his arm as he blocked the kobolds’ blows. The warden was an even more impressive fighter now than he had been as a wolf.<br /><br />Alassë seemed a tad unsure of herself at first, but threw herself into melee combat with one of the kobolds as soon as a spear hurtled by, inches from her face. I could hear her pray as she fought with her morningstar, beseeching Torm to grant us favor over these enemies of the law.<br /><br />I fired a couple of arrows at the creatures, but the fight was over almost as soon as it had begun. We had a couple of scrapes and bruises to show for our battle, but nothing serious. I was pleased with the way things went. Certainly if we traveled together for very long we would see tougher fights than this, but it was a good start.<br /><br />We arrived in Winterhaven with no further incident. My first suggestion (for obvious reasons) was to find the local tavern. It’s important, for, you know, fact-finding missions, and stuff. Also, there’s ale.<br /><br />When we located the tavern on the first floor of Wrafton's Inn, we went inside and made ourselves comfortable. The innkeeper came over and introduced herself as Sylvana Wrafton. She seemed friendly enough, but was clearly troubled. Other than one boisterous man with a small crowd around him, there were only a few scattered patrons.<br /><br />“What can I do for you folks?" Wrafton asked. "You’re not from here, are ya? Don’t recuhnize you ‘tall. Been tough times for us recently, what with the kobold problem. Traders and visitors stayin’ mostly away. But I don’t mean ta bore y'all with that talk.”<br /><br />“Oh we know all about the kobold problem,” I said. “We subtracted 6 from your problem on our way in. But I gather the problem is a tad bigger than that.” The innkeeper grunted in agreement. I continued, “We are actually here looking for a friend of ours. Do you know a dwarf named Bolgar? He came through the town a couple weeks ago and has since gone missing. Any idea where we might be able to find him?”<br /><br />Sylvana looked thoughtful for a minute. “Name sounds familiar, but can’t say I know where he went. If anyone knows, it’s Eilian over there. He knows everyone.” She pointed to the large man who was currently passing for the inn’s entertainment.<br /><br />I thanked the innkeeper and told my companions to wait while I went to talk to Eilian. He shook my hand as if we were old friends. When I asked about Bolgar, he knew immediately who I was talking about.<br /><br />“Yes, yes, I remember your friend. Came through a couple of weeks ago, eh? Yes, he approached me for some information. He was looking for Valthrun, the resident scholar round these parts.” Eilian turned and pointed at a small, bespectacled man sitting by himself in a corner, sipping a hot drink and reading. “He wanted to know about some dragon burial grounds or some such thing. Apparently the dwarf got the information he was looking for because I saw him leaving the city to the southwest, loaded down with digging equipment.” <br /><br />The man grew somber all of a sudden, “If he’s missing, I hope he hasn’t run into those dirty kobolds. They’ve been terrorizing this place too long. I know this town could use any help it can get with those things. Lord Padraig is tearing his hair out.”<br /><br />I talked to him for awhile longer, bought him a beer for his troubles and then wandered over to Valthrun, who basically confirmed the Eilian's story. He mentioned that Bolgar was convinced there was a dragon burial site with some sort of treasure to the southeast of town. Valthrun had heard rumors of such a thing, but they were vague and unsubstantiated. The scholar was polite, but appeared more interested in his book than my queries. I returned to my companions. <br /><br />I related all I had learned to Sariel, Anca, Alassë, and Lotheryn. We decided that it would be a good idea to speak with this Lord Padraig and find out more about the kobold problem. It seemed his problem and ours might be linked.<br /><br />As we walked to his offices, I could tell there was something bothering Lotheryn.<br /><br />“What’s wrong?” I asked.<br /><br />“Oh, nothing really,” the druid responded. “I just noticed an elf sitting alone in the tavern. He looked upset so I went to see if I could find out what was wrong. He cursed at me and told me to mind my own business. He was the surliest elf I have ever encountered. It just bothers me that in these hard times even people who seem like friends become enemies.”<br /><br />“Well, if we see him again, I’ll give him something to be surly about.” I promised her, subtly puffing out my chest and flexing my arms. She smiled at me and seemed to cheer up a bit. That’s right. I’m smooth.<br /><br />Anyway, we arrived shortly at Padraig’s manor. The guards out front stopped us and asked if we had an appointment. I lied and told them yes. I don’t have time for bureaucratic nonsense. Luckily for me, they didn’t bother verifying my claim and they let us in.<br /><br />Padraig was a short, fat balding man with an expression on his face that seemed to indicate he had been losing even more hair lately. This kobold problem was weighing on his mind, and he told us as much. Loudly, I might add.<br /><br />“I’m so glad you adventurers are here! We need people like you. I never thought that disbanding the militia would have such dire consequences! We have no one to fight this menace and the city is losing money daily! This city is the jewel of the region! Winterhaven has always been a trend setter, you know. But with the local trade market floundering, I don’t know what to do!” He said this all while pacing back and forth about 73 times in front of his desk.<br /><br />I felt bad for this man, mainly because it was obvious the town was suffering from the kobold attacks, but also because he was clearly suffering from delusion. “The jewel of the region?” Maybe in the same way a dirt clod would be considered the jewel of a mudpit. Winterhaven was not much to look at and at its best moments would not rival any of the large urban centers in the south or the west. But I didn’t tell him as much. Instead I asked him for a minute so I could confer briefly with my companions.<br /><br />“Well, what do you think? Should we offer to help?” I asked.<br /><br />Sariel spoke up immediately in that blunt, confident way of hers. “Yes, it is right that we do so. People here are downcast and joyless. Something must be done.”<br /><br />Alassë agreed. “And we may find Bolgar by investigating these kobolds. Torm does not want this injustice to continue.”<br /><br />Lotheryn agreed, "We should help stop the suffering." Anca looked at me silently but did not seem to disagree. He would follow his ward wherever she went. I turned back to Padraig.<br /><br />“Alright, Mayor Padraig…”<br /><br />“LORD Padraig, if you please,” he interrupted.<br /><br />I rolled my eyes. “Lord Padraig, excuse my mistake. We will help you with your kobold problem as it appears solving your problem may solve ours.” I considered briefly asking him for some sort of compensation for our services, but that felt wrong to me. The citizens of this town needed help, not blackmail. I also thought that any promise this guy made probably wasn’t worth the contents of his privy.<br /><br />The man thanked us profusely, drew us a map for the presumed location of the kobold’s lair, and sent us on our way. Even though the map advised us to go straight west, we went southwest first, hoping to find some sign of Bolgar. It was mid-afternoon at that point, but we wanted to get started immediately.<br /><br />We were making good time when we stumbled across another group of the rodent-like creatures. There were several more of them this time, and these were better armed than the other kobolds we had dispatched. One of them seemed to be the leader of the group and immediately began casting all sorts of nasty spells at us.<br /><br />Maybe it was because we were tired from the long day, or maybe it was because of our lack of experience fighting beside each other, but we had all sorts of trouble during the battle. The caster gave us fits, hitting us with fireballs and then darting behind trees. Lotheryn tried desperately to freeze him in place but couldn’t hit the agile beast. Anca had his hands full with two of the bigger kobolds. I shot arrow after arrow to no avail. At one point, I tried summoning my lance of faith, the cleric spell Bolgar had taught me. It shot out of my hand and hit nothing. I went back to my bow, but my aim was so bad, at one point I simply dropped it on the ground in frustration, took out my flail and short sword, and charged after anything that moved. Unfortunately, when I caught up with something, it turned around and gave me a few pike thrusts to the torso. Alassë and I were both bleeding profusely from multiple wounds by the time Lotheryn and Sariel chased down the last kobold and slew it.<br /><br />As I sat there, bleeding, sore, and exhausted, I wondered (not for the last time, I’m sure) what the heck I was doing. Here I was, traveling with three women, two of whom I’d known for less than a day, and a wolf-elf thing who couldn’t speak. I was dealing with phony “lords” and fighting kobolds. Meanwhile, my sister might be out there somewhere. The orcs who destroyed my family might be destroying others. I was a ranger. I shouldn’t be here. I should be moving silently through forests, tracking my enemies, hunting alone…<br /><br />“Are you hurt badly?” Lotheryn’s soft voice and gentle touch at my shoulder roused me from my self-pity. “Here, let me tend to that.”<br /><br />I sighed as she dressed my numerous wounds. There were advantages to not being alone, I suppose. I looked around at the remnants of our battle. Dead kobolds lay strewn about. Anca was standing at the edge of the clearing, yellow eyes alert for more foes. Alassë was dressing her own wounds and appeared to be examining something with Sariel. They were discussing the item when Lotheryn finished her treatment. We sauntered over.<br /><br />Alassë held out a scuffed bronze medallion with a strange symbol on it. “Sariel found this on the kobold caster,” she said. “The symbol you see is the symbol of Orcus, the god of undeath. Why would a kobold have it?” She asked, puzzled.<br /><br />“I have no idea,” I admitted. “These kobolds probably picked it up off of some curio merchant they waylaid on the road. Strange.” To be honest, I was too tired to care at the moment. I said, “Let’s move down the path a little ways and set up camp. It’s getting late.”<br /><br />We found a suitable place and made camp. Lotheryn summoned some wood sprites to hide the camp from anything that might wish to disturb us. Still, when Sariel asked everyone to play some sort of strange gnomish truth or lie game, I offered to stand watch. I wasn’t in the mood for games, and it didn’t seem like anyone else was either. The eladrin just shrugged and reclined against a tree, promising that we’d play some other time. I couldn’t wait.<br /><br />As I paced around the camp, my thoughts went back to my current situation. Why WAS I here? I had traveled with Lotheryn and Anca for quite awhile now, and was growing accustomed to their company. It was a strange thing – wandering alone for so long had made me so used to being my own master that it had taken two years to even start thinking that I was part of a team. But did I like being part of a team? Yes and no.<br /><br />I considered my day. It had been one of THOSE days. Almost every arrow I shot missed its target. Even when I tried my little cleric trick it had fizzled out to no effect. If I had been by myself, I never would have been in that situation. I could blend in so well with my surroundings that I could always put myself in strategically advantageous positions. And if things went wrong, I knew ways to extricate myself safely and become virtually untraceable. With company like this, that wasn’t an option. The cleric was a nice enough woman, but she made enough noise to wake the dead. The avenger was certainly skilled in battle, but she was convinced her god would guarantee her success, and that made her a little less cautious than I was comfortable with. Even Lotheryn was different than the woman who I had first met two years ago. At least the group was fine with me being the de facto leader. Lotheryn and I had a mutual understanding about our roles in the party, so I wasn’t worried about that, but if one of these holier-than-thou women started preaching at me all the time, things were going to get awkward.<br /><br />These thoughts raced around in my head during my two-hour watch shift. At the end, I finally settled on something. The bottom line was that I wanted to do good in this world and I wanted there to be some semblance of justice. I didn’t always agree with my companions on how justice needed to be implemented and maintained, but as long as we had that same basic goal, I was content traveling with these people. I would not, however, let the group affect who I was. I was a ranger and I would use my skills and my training to the best of my ability, whether everyone agreed with my methods or not. To be effective, I had to be more than just a blunt instrument of war – that was for other people. I had to be quick on my feet and quick with my mind, using stealth as an asset. If I fought the way I knew best, it would be better for the group in the long run, right? So why would I try to do anything else? This conclusion satisfied me enough to where my mind could have some peace. Just then Anca shambled up, ready to relieve me from my watch. I fell asleep almost immediately. <br /><br />The night passed uneventfully. I woke before anyone else feeling refreshed and in a much better mood. I hunted a boar, and fried up some ham. I enjoyed it, but I got the sense that everyone else was merely being polite when they said they liked it. Sariel’s thinly-veiled grimace told me all I needed to know. This was the problem traveling with women. If it was men, they would have just come out and told me they hated my cooking. At least Anca appreciated the boar – he ate more helpings than I did.<br /><br />Our hike continued. Before long, we found ourselves on the edge of a large dug-out pit. There was a path leading down and a lot of activity going on in the center. I could make out a number of scabbily dressed humans with picks and shovels digging around a large dragon skeleton. Bolgar had been right. There WAS a burial ground.<br /><br />The humans weren’t the only ones there, though. Directing the activity was a large humanoid, a sort of half dragon, half man - a dragonborn. There were two more standing guard on the path leading down to the pit. They were large beasts, each wielding a heavy, wicked-looking axe. I was motioning everyone back into the cover of the trees when the pit boss looked up and saw us.<br /><br />“You there!” he said in a raspy voice, “Come on down! You should see this! We are about to unearth something fantastic!”<br /><br />We moved hesitantly to the edge of the pit. The guards didn’t move a muscle. The boss continued to beckon us. I called back, “Where is Bolgar? We were told we would find him here!”<br /><br />The boss answered, “He is helping us! He must have just stepped out for a minute. He will be back shortly. Come on down and see what he has helped us find!”<br /><br />Somewhere at the back of my mind, something was bothering me. I just couldn’t place it. Lotheryn turned to me and whispered, “I have a bad feeling about this.”<br /><br />I looked at everyone else. “I don’t feel great about it either, but what choice do we have? Bolgar could be down there somewhere, and there’s a chance these things are actually friendly. I say we go.”<br /><br />For the first time, Sariel looked unsure of herself. There was a brief moment when that familiar smile left her face. But she regained her composure enough to grin and say, “Garl will grant me joy in all I do. Let’s go.” Alassë agreed. Lotheryn shook her head and turned away, but mumbled that she would go as well. Anca’s yellow eyes gleamed with danger. It wasn't exactly unanimous, but the choice had been made.<br /><br />We started down the path. About a third of the way down, Lotheryn’s suspicions were confirmed. The pit boss screeched, “GET THEM!” and the guards charged. It was then that I noticed a fourth dragonborn making his way towards us around the outside of the pit. After all that thinking I did last night, the first chance I got and I mistrusted my instincts. Life was never that simple. <br /><br />The two guards bullrushed Alassë, catching her offguard. She fell to one knee, bravely trying to fight them off. Sariel joined the fray, parrying with her falchion. Anca charged in as well, trying to distract the dragonborn from the fallen cleric. I looked around for Lotheryn, only to see a wolf leap into the scrum, biting at the guards. I still couldn't get used to that.<br /><br />I stepped back and started firing volleys just as the pit boss got involved. He moved towards us and began hitting Anca with arcane blasts. I noticed the human excavators had picked up their tools and were running toward us as well, making sure to steer clear of the digging area. I tried to keep one eye on the fourth dragonborn, still making its way around the pit. I heard Alassë cry out in pain as one of the guards connected with a mighty swing of his axe. She called out to Torm before falling unconscious. Torm either wasn’t paying attention or this was one of those “trust me” moments that Ehlonna had made me so familiar with. Gods were funny that way. I yelled to Lotheryn who was already morphing back into an elf and trying to twist her way through the fracas to the cleric’s fallen body.<br /><br />Sariel and Anca managed to bring down one of the guards just as the pit boss and his human lackeys joined our little tea party. I put my bow away and unsheathed my flail and shortsword. I needed to give Lotheryn room to work on Alassë.<br /><br />“Hey ugly!” I shouted at the pit boss. “You got anything better than those lame balls of light you were tossing over here?”<br /><br />The dragonborn screamed at me and rushed over. Well, that should give Lotheryn enough time to stabilize the cleric. I just hoped I could back up my words and handle this dragon-thing. The fight went on for some time before I finally landed a solid blow on the boss. Without a sound, he disappeared. By now the other dragonborn were dead, and only several of the human diggers remained. I took a second to catch my breath and then addressed the humans.<br /><br />“Your masters are dead. We have no grudge with you. Leave now and we’ll spare your lives.” For once I was tired of fighting. I’d be more than happy if these dirty rabble rousers just turned tail and ran…<br /><br />Except all these guys could do was grip their picks and shovels tighter and point behind me, muttering something about a dragon. I turned, seeing nothing.<br /><br />Frustrated, I started again, “Listen! Did you hear what I said? You can go free! Get out…” I was cut off by a shriek as the boss reappeared, wielding his giant axe and looking ready to relieve my neck from having to carry my head around. Anca jumped past me, intercepting him and tearing into the dragonborn with unmitigated fury. Sariel and I flanked the boss and soon we finished him off, along with the humans who declined to take my invitation to keep their lives. Lotheryn was finally able to get Alassë back on her feet. The half elf was clearly shaken, but she appeared to be okay. She gave a prayer of thanks to Torm as we made our way down to the burial site. Her weariness left her when she noticed her mentor, Bolgar, bound in a dark corner of the pit. She ran over, untied him, and embraced him.<br /><br />“Alassë!" Bolgar exclaimed as he was set free. "Torm has certainly blessed me! I should have known this venture would be trouble.” Bolgar held Alassë by the shoulders and gave her a smile. Then he turned to the rest of us. “Thank you all. I cannot say that enough.” He noticed Lotheryn and I. “This IS a small land, is it not? If you are here, then your little run in with the dragon must have gone well. Taran, do you still have the faith to summon that divine lance I showed you?”<br /><br />“It comes and goes, but I’m still working on it,” I said, not wishing to get into a theological discussion at this juncture. I changed the subject. “Let’s see what it is these dragon-guys were so worked up about.”<br /><br />We found the object they had been excavating and pulled it out of the hole. It was…a mirror. A mirror? All that for a lousy looking glass? There was nothing especially interesting about the mirror, other than that it was in pristine condition. I would have expected a mirror buried in an ancient grave to be at least a little dirty, but this thing was clean as a whistle. Other than that, no one could discover anything unusual or magical about it. I knew that it couldn't have been just an ordinary mirror, otherwise why would a bunch of dragonborn be so interested in it? I surely didn't know, but I had an idea about who might be able to help us find out.<br /><br />“I know someone who can help us figure out what this mirror is. Valthrun. Bolgar needs to get back to town anyway, and we could certainly use a good night’s sleep. Why don’t we head back to town, rest up, ask the scholar about the mirror and get started on the kobold problem tomorrow?” I asked, hopefully. The plan met unanimous approval.<br /><br />Before we left, we searched the bodies of the dragonborn for any clue as to why they might have been interested in the site. We didn’t find anything of that nature, but the leader did have a fancy looking necklace. Sariel identified it as a magical necklace of protection. Judging from the last couple battles it seemed like Alassë could use all the protection she could get. We gave the necklace to her.<br /><br />When we got back to town, Bolgar took his leave, thanking us once again and explaining that he had to get home to his wife. He embraced Alassë and we watched him make his way out of town. We stopped at the tavern and found the scholar sitting at the same table we’d left him, nose still buried in a book. Unfortunately, Lord Padraig happened to be there as well. <br /><br />“Ladies, gentlemen. I gather from your presence here that you’ve solved the kobold issue?” He asked, expectantly. <br /><br />I turned to my female companions who were staring in every direction but at me or Padraig. Anca appeared uninterested in the whole thing. I was on my own for this one. I cleared my throat and tried to explain, “Well, we WERE on our way, but we got sidetracked by some evil dragonborn southwest of here. You’ll be happy to know that your dragonborn problem has been solved, and our friend Bolgar has been found…”<br /><br />The man flew into a rage, “Bolgar? Dragonborn?!? I’ll be HAPPY when my townspeople can travel without fear of attack from kobolds!” he yelled. He collected himself somwhat before continuing. “I don’t know why you are back," he said between clenched teeth, "but you’d best get out there soon and do what you promised. People are dying!” With that, Lord Padraig stormed out of the tavern.<br /><br />“That went well,” I muttered. I turned back to my companions, all of whom were looking rather sheepish. I sighed, “Let’s go talk to Valthrun and then get some rest.”<br /><br />To our chagrin, Valthrun wasn’t much help. He promised to do some research for us while we took care of the kobold business, but he had no idea of the mirror’s origins. In the meantime, we would have to carry around a mirror wherever we went. It’s a good thing mirrors are so useful when trying to exterminate kobolds…<br /><br />Padraig’s impatience notwithstanding, we spent the night at the inn, easing our aches and pains from the last battle. Before setting out in the morning, we stopped by the local adventuring provisioner, Bairwin's Grand Shoppe. I was in the process of talking Bairwin Wildarson, the owner of the establishment, down from his ridiculous 50 gold asking price for health potions when our surly elf friend walked in. <br /><br />Bairwin looked unhappy at his new customer and mumbled something about "that damned Ninaran", but didn’t say anything aloud as the elf wandered around the store, muttering to himself and glancing at us angrily from time to time. I kept a not-so-subtle eye on him while I continued my negotiations. When I saw him push Lotheryn roughly out of his way, I lost my temper.<br /><br />“Anca, if you would kindly escort this Ninaran off the premises…” I said roughly. I looked at the shifter who growled in reply and seemed more than happy to oblige.<br /><br />The elf just glared at me and started to object, “What gives you the right…” but he was cut off as Anca bodily lifted him and tossed him out the front door. The owner seemed relieved and was finally convinced to lower his prices a bit. We got our potions and left the town, this time following the map Padraig had given us. <br /><br />We traveled for half the day before we heard familiar sounds of snarling and other kobold-ish noises coming from a stand of trees in front of us. As we moved closer, we looked through the trees and saw roughly a dozen kobolds milling about on both sides of a shallow river just on the other side of the trees. I held up my hand and backed the group out of earshot. It was a miracle the kobolds weren’t already alerted to our presence, and I wasn't going to blow that now.<br /><br />“There are 12 kobolds in the clearing up ahead," I whispered. "They don’t know we’re here. Most of them appear to be small minions, although there are a couple that might give us more trouble. There’s one right inside those trees, standing in some kind of runed circle. I can sneak close enough to get a point blank shot at him. Stay back for now, but be ready to join the fight once you hear the thing scream in pain.” <br /><br />Lotheryn nodded, but Alassë shook her head. “We should come with you,” she said. "We will help." <br /><br />Sariel concurred, “I was a thief in my former life, I could sneak up there as well.”<br /><br />I shook my head firmly. I was NOT backing down from my instincts on this one. “Look,” I said, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but the more people who come with me, the better chance they’ll hear us. Also, I can use my bow to take a shot. You both will have to charge in, which will set the whole place moving. Let me do this. Alone.” I was adamant. I could tell that neither the cleric nor the avenger agreed with my decision, but I didn’t care. My bowmanship may have been downright terrible lately, but here was my chance to do more in battle than simply provide a distraction. Before they could offer another protest, I crept off toward the trees.<br /><br />My years of training and experience took over. I knew exactly where to step, exactly when to move. Before I knew it, I was crouched behind a large bush, an arrow nocked, and the bow bent to my cheekbone. I released and the arrow struck true, burying itself in the torso of the nearest kobold. The creature shrieked and began clamoring for help. In the blink of an eye, the eladrin was next to me. Sariel sprang into the middle of the kobolds, slashing the wounded one with her falchion. In another second, though, she was surrounded by 7 of the beasts, all threatening her with spears. She closed her eyes for a split second, and when she opened them, she appeared to single out one of the creatures, muttering a prayer under her breath as she prepared to strike. (I made a mental note to ask about this later.) As skilled as the avenger was, I didn’t see any way she was going to get out of this unscathed. Alassë was still making her way through the trees. Anca was trying to head off another kobold that had come around the trees and begun tossing poisonous goo at us. I was fumbling with my quiver, trying to prepare another shot.<br /><br />Suddenly, with a burst of flame, all of the kobolds surrounding Sariel were incinerated. Lotheryn had wiped out half the group with one spell. I glanced over at the druid, but she was already moving to help Anca. Other than some trouble pinning down the goo-hurler, we handled the rest of the kobolds without issue. The last one living made a break for a nearby waterfall, yelling for aid. My arrow brought him down before a second cry could escape his lips. We waited in silence, anticipating the reinforcements that would be coming. After several minutes, we knew that we had escaped further confrontation for the moment. <br /><br />We took a quick break to gather ourselves before searching the area. There wasn’t anything of value in the clearing, but the dying kobold had inadvertently shown us where we needed to go. I pointed out a faint path leading behind the waterfall. <br /><br />I walked over to Sariel who was calmly cleaning her falchion. She greeted me with a smile. “A boring affair,” she said jokingly, referring to our skirmish. “Over much too quickly for my tastes. I barely got to do anything!”<br /><br />“Well, you almost PERMANENTLY didn’t get to do anything," I pointed out. "Those kobolds had you pinned down pretty well,” <br /><br />She laughed. “Don’t be silly. Garl Glittergold isn’t through with me yet. And Lotheryn saw to it that it stayed that way.”<br /><br />I shrugged. Finally I got to my main query. “Why is it that you close your eyes before engaging?” I asked. “It seems as if you single out one specific target every time.”<br /><br />The eladrin grew as serious as I’ve ever seen her. “I do not expect you to understand, but I will explain briefly. Garl, in his divine wisdom, grants me my fighting abilities. Therefore, before I use those abilities, I thank Garl for his blessing and look to him for guidance. In response, Garl points out a single enemy to kill. I then swear an oath to destroy that enemy. My oath can only be fulfilled when the enemy is dead or when Garl instructs me to let it go. I cannot focus on anything else until either of those happens,” the avenger said. She then stood up, strapped her falchion on her back and looked at me. “I know you have conflicted feelings about my devotion to my god. And I understand why you feel that way. But ask yourself, do you question your god because she doesn’t speak to you? Or is it that you don’t hear your god speak because you’re too busy questioning her?” Sariel smiled wryly at me and then walked back to where the others were resting.<br /><br />I thought about her statement for all of a half second before I put it in the back of my mind. It was an interesting premise, but I had more urgent matters to consider. Like the upcoming battle we were surely going to find once we got behind that waterfall. I walked over to the group and looked at each of my fellow adventurers. Despite my worries, it was a good group. I was confident we could handle whatever awaited us. <br /><br />Without a word, we turned and headed down the dark path behind the waterfall, into the heart of the kobold’s stronghold.<br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-16755267392065855792009-04-24T19:01:00.000-07:002009-06-05T12:44:37.375-07:00Alassë, AlassëWe had been waiting for some time: Lotheryn was studying the <em>terellor</em> that she continued to carry, Anca was relaxing in silence (we soon realized that while Anca was given some of the attributes of elves during his transformation, he retained the powers of speech of a wolf; he could understand our speech, but Lotheryn was the only one who could understand his bestial language), and I was getting bored. Sariel appeared content to wait quietly, sometimes entering into a lively, one-sided conversation with her god, Garl. I left to pick up my flail from the smith and when I returned, I saw a half-elf woman talking to my companions.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />I walked up to the group, “So, who is our new friend?”<br /><br />The half-elf introduced herself, “I am Alassë, daughter and cleric of Torm the Lawmaker. I was just discussing some matters of faith with your friends. You must be Taran,” she smiled warmly as she touched her cheek in a manner of greeting.<br /><br />“I am,” I said, as I felt a tug on my arm. It was Lotheryn.<br /><br />“Taran, can I speak with you a minute in private?” She said as she practically dragged me away.<br /><br />“What is it?” I asked. The druid had a very uncharacteristic look of annoyance on her face.<br /><br />“Well, this cleric approached us and began giving us her spiel on her god. She seems very nice and respectful, but I can’t say I’m particularly in the mood for preaching at the moment. Meanwhile, our new 'adventuring partner,'" she cast a sidelong glance at Sariel, "is trying to convince Alassë that she needs to join our group, as mandated by Greg Gordglitter or whatever her god’s name is. Since then, it’s just been a lot of theological debate. I’ve been trying to mediate between the two, but this is beyond me.” Lotheryn said, exasperated. <br /><br />“Alright,” I said as I patter her on the shoulder. “I’ll see if I can extract us from this so we can be on our way.”<br /><br />Just as we were heading back to the group, we heard a rider approaching. It appeared to be a dwarf woman on a pony, riding at breakneck speed (well, breakneck for a dwarf on a pony – it was actually rather comical to see, a feeling I felt bad about a minute later). The dwarf woman rode up to us and stopped suddenly, out of breath and looking distraught. Apparently my day hadn’t been strange enough.<br /><br />“Kardra?!?” Alassë exclaimed, lending a hand to the dwarf as she dismounted. “What brings you here?”<br /><br />Kardra caught her breath. “It’s Bolgar! I…I waited as long as I thought was appropriate, but I had to tell someone.”<br /><br />Something rang a bell. Bolgar…Bolgar...where had I heard that name? I listened as the woman continued, speaking directly to Alassë. “I didn’t tell you this when you left the church last week, but Bolgar sent word several weeks ago that he was almost home. He was stopping to see a friend in Winterhaven…”<br /><br />“Wait!” I interjected. “Bolgar? Is he a cleric of Torm? Was he travelling in the Northern Reaches about a year ago?”<br /><br />Now it was someone else’s turn to look confused for once. Alassë looked at me, perplexed, and asked, “How did you know that?”<br /><br />I exchanged glances with Lotheryn and Anca. “Well, let’s just say that’s a longer story than we have time for. I’ll give you the condensed version. We happened across your friend while we were involved in our own expedition in the Northern Reaches. He was chronicling the history of the area as some sort of mission his god had put him on. He travelled with us for some time before we parted ways. Nice guy.” I left out the part about him being almost unbearably righteous, but the rest was true. <br /><br />“Well, he’s missing!” Kardra blurted. Alassë looked stunned. The dwarf woman continued, “I didn’t tell you earlier, Alassë, because Bolgar didn’t want you interrupting your work to wait for his return. His message said that he was going to stop in Winterhaven and see how a friend there was getting along before he came home. I thought it was strange when he didn’t send word after a couple of weeks, but I knew something was wrong when his friend showed up at the church yesterday and told me he’d never seen Bolgar! I came here as fast as I could.”<br /><br />Alassë sat down and put her head in her hands. This was obviously hitting her hard. She looked up finally. “I have to go find him,” she said determinedly. She got to her feet and clasped her hands around Kardra’s. “I will leave at once. Do not worry. With Torm’s blessing, I will return him safely to you and the church.”<br /><br />“We are coming with you!” Sariel said, rather unexpectedly.<br /><br />“What was that?” Alassë said, looking at the eladrin.<br /><br />“What was that?” I asked, also looking quizzically at Sariel.<br /><br />Sariel laughed and shook her head. “I knew you still didn’t believe me. I told you we had a quest we were waiting for. Garl revealed it to me. This is our quest. We must find this man. It is right that we do so.”<br /><br />This is crazy, I thought. A new flail, a strange gnome-elf-woman from faerie land, a pious half-elf cleric, a distraught dwarf woman, and now a random quest I was supposed to embark on. I needed a large mug of ale. Badly.<br /><br />I was thinking about which bar I should go to first, when Lotheryn spoke up. “Anca and I will go.” She looked at me. “Anca told me that he felt the urge to do this. I feel the same way. It IS right that we go. The man was very kind to us on our journey. We should find him.”<br /><br />“Well, I guess I need to break in this new flail sometime, and I’m sure this will give me the opportunity. Let’s get to it then,” I said, secretly lamenting that I wasn’t going to get any ale. I wasn’t sure about Torm and Garl, but I trusted Lotheryn and Anca. If their instincts said it was right, then it wasn’t my place to argue.<br /><br />The cleric looked shocked at our offer to help. She fell to her knees, closed her eyes and appeared to be praying. When she opened them, she looked at each of us and said, “What Torm has provided, it is not in my place to refuse. I thank you for your commitment.” She rose and turned to Kardra, who was still looking fairly pale. “This is a sign from Torm. He will bless our search. Keep yourself safe, and we will return.”<br /><br />With that, we left the dwarf and made our way onto the road out of town. We began the journey to Winterhaven. As we travelled, Alassë shared with us her “testimony,” as she called it.<br /><br />She grew up in a modest home with her elven father, half-elf mother, and six older brothers. She had travelled quite a bit as a child; her parents had been disciples of Torm and took the children with them on their mission trips. When she turned 12, she was enrolled in school at the local church, just as her brothers had done. Each of her brothers, save the one closest to her in age, had become paladins of Torm, and protected missionaries on their travels. The other brother, Aelar, nearest to her in both age and in personality, became disillusioned with the church. He had become increasingly contentious in his classes, until Alassë confronted him about it. Aelar revealed that he felt that Torm’s teachings were weak and created a mindless devotion to law and justice. He felt that he was being pushed, against his will, into subservience to a powerless god. The day after this conversation, Aelar’s 18th birthday, Alassë found that her brother was gone. He had taken all of his possessions and left the church for good. The family had not had contact with him since. I could hear the sadness in the cleric’s voice as she spoke of him. It was obvious that they had been very close.<br /><br />Alassë, however, took to the church’s teachings with complete enthusiasm. She excelled in her religion and history courses. The half-elf loved to study the tenets of justice and law that were the main doctrines of Torm. She performed so well in her classes that one of the high priests, the aforementioned Bolgar, took her under his wing and trained her personally. He even taught her the language of the dwarves – a rare thing, since dwarves guard their native tongue closely. His hope was that she would become a cleric and a missionary for Torm, surpassing even her parents in service to the church, and possibly even spreading Torm’s message to secluded dwarven kingdoms. Bolgar became like a second father to her.<br /><br />As her brothers before her, she also had a passion and a skill for melee combat. Almost impossibly, she worked just as diligently on her combat tactics as she did on her apologetics courses. By the time she was 18, she could recite entire chapters from the Torm’s Holy Book of Law while she was knocking down paladins twice her size with a morningstar. She was initiated on her 18th birthday as a cleric of Torm's church. Soon after, she began her missionary work. She alternated between travelling to regional dwarven clans to evangelize for Torm, and performing consulting work for local townships and colonies, helping them with their legal structure. (This last part sounded about as exciting to me as reading a book about the germination of fir trees, which I have already checked off my list of things to do before I die, as you may recall). She had been making these trips for the last 10 years. Three of those years were spent on an extended journey across the Olarian Sea, sailing from island to island, teaching the clans of humans that she found there, and helping reveal to them what she referred to as the Light of Torm.<br /><br />As diligent and successful as Alassë was in her work throughout these years, she noticed that Bolgar seemed less and less content every time she returned to her home church. The dwarf, normally jovial, was often brooding and spoke gruffly to those who approached him. On her homeward journey from a mission, roughly a year and a half ago, the half-elf decided that she needed to find out what was at the root of the old cleric’s issues. When she arrived, she found that Bolgar was gone. He had left her a note:<br /><br /><blockquote>Dearest Alassë,<br /><br />I am so proud of the work you are doing in the name of Torm. If the rest of us had half your determination, this world would never know injustice again. I apologize for my attitude in recent times. Without a pupil like you into whom I can pour my knowledge, I have not felt at peace. I feel that Torm has a new calling for me. He is asking me to travel to a distant land called the Northern Reaches. I do not know His purpose (who ever really does?), but possibly He means it as a scouting expedition for beginning a new church there. Pray that I may complete His task and return safely. <br /><br />I will be gone for some time. See that Kardra is well taken care of and spend time with her when you can.<br /><br />In Torm’s Law,<br />Bolgar</blockquote><br /><br />Alassë was saddened by her mentor’s departure, but she knew that Torm’s will was not something to be questioned. She praised her god for his wisdom and continued with her work. She was in the middle of a consulting trip to the city when she found us.<br /><br />And so here we were, five travellers on our way to a town called Winterhaven - Anca, Lotheryn, Sariel, Alassë, and I. A mute shapeshifter, a nature-obsessed druid, a lighthearted religious faerie warrior, a pious half-elf cleric, and me, ranger of the wilds, hunter of orcs, and lover of fine ales. (Also a damned fine writer, if I did say so myself.) This was an eclectic group, to be sure.<br /><br /><em>It could be worse</em>, I thought as we continued down the road. <em>I could still be with that crazy gnome...</em><br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-28363425293527249932009-04-23T23:05:00.000-07:002009-04-24T08:08:23.082-07:00Rules and questionsI wanted to post something before we got started regarding rules. Not so much the rules of the game (though maybe there should be a post about that too) but more the rules of how we are going to play. On the whole, I'm really glad that we have a bit of a smaller group this time. I think that will keep the game a little more engaging for everyone and we won't be bogged down waiting for your turn to come back up again. While we aren't going to be in hurry whatsoever, I am going to try to keep the game moving along a little faster than we did last time just so encounters seem a little more exciting.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />So two things in order to help move combat faster: 1) Roll attack roles and damage roles at the same time (I think this will save us a surprising amount of time). I'll also assume that you didn't crit unless you tell me you did. That way I won't have to ask, "wait, natural 20?" a bunch of times. 2) When doing any sort of AoE damage, roll the damage first and then attack roles to see who you hit (with bursts and blasts, there is one damage roll but attack roles for each individual enemy). Those two things (especially the first one) should help keep us moving along. As a general rule, giving some thought to what you are going to do next turn would be preferable though we won't expect anyone to be a master tactician so no worries if we get to your turn and you have no idea. Also, it would be great if we could visually represent initiative order. Does anyone have a mini-white board we could use? It would be great to just write everyone's name down once at the beginning of the night and then just write/erase the initiative order for each encounter.<br /><br />Reading through the Dungeon Master's Guide also gave me some interesting questions to ponder and I thought I would throw them back at you guys to consider.<br /><br />1) When you speak for your character, does it matter if you speak in 1st or 3rd person? This doesn't have a huge effect but would affect how role play is done. Same goes for me as the DM. Should the monsters/townspeople/etc. talk in first person or 3rd? Do we care at all?<br /><br />2) Can player's offer advice if their characters aren't present or are unconscious? This again is mostly a role-playing consideration. I would even go further than this and ask whether we want to discuss strategy and offer advice in the middle of an encounter.<br />Ideas in favor of not giving advice/discussing include: This could bring up some really really interesting role-playing situations. Our party would be more like a sports team than a think-tank. We could totally discuss all the things your character can do when we’re outside of combat, but then when we’re fighting, it’s show time. Realistically, we couldn’t have a powwow on the battlefield to discuss who should go where, etc. We just have to react. In this way, the roleplaying would be really authentic because as we got better at understanding our class, our powers and everyone else’s play style, our party would become more and more efficient in combat. Moreover, I think Dan and I could easily fall in to over-strategizing and it would be to easy for the girls to more or less just do what we said, even if we we’re being mean about it. In this way, the girls take a more active role in combat. Obviously we could explain any rules or powers to them if they didn’t understand but at the end of it, just like it would be in real life, we’d just have to watch them make whatever decision they thought was best for themselves and for the team. Additionally (last point on this one, I promise), the roleplaying could be even further enhanced because everyone could fight in a manner consistent with their character. Is your character a coward? Run away and hide! Take 1 or 2 extra rounds to enter combat, hoping no one notices. Is your character brash and completely unable to be controlled? Bull rush the first dude you see, sprinting around from enemy to enemy, shrugging off their attacks of opportunity. Spend half the time bloodied or unconscious if that is what your character would do. Have fun!!<br />Ideas against being strict on this issue: It puts a lot of pressure on the girls, which they might or might not appreciate. But especially at the beginning, when everything is so new, they might like a bit of advice. Obviously I’m in favor of the first option since the point of D&D is to play a character, not play to the peak of your ability (it is fundamentally different than WoW in that regard) but this would have to fly with the ladies or it just wouldn’t work out.<br /><br />3) Can players give other players info such as how many hit points they have left? Another really interesting role playing idea (The DMG was a really good read). Giving out hit point numbers definitely seems to fall into meta-gaming. I’ll know how many hit points you have and could always give a description of how the players looks, relative to their damage. And everyone will always know when someone (player or enemy) is bloodied (less than half their hit points left). This might be really fun and certainly makes things more realistic. (I am the anti-TC. I want you to have no information!!!!)<br /><br />4) Can players take back what they’ve just said their character does? Are all actions final?<br /><br />Well, there are some questions for you to ponder. Most are role playing related but I think our last session was really missing some good role playing. D&D is meant to be interactive story telling and I want to incorporate that more into our sessions. Hopefully that will make them much more fun and even a bit ridiculous. On that note, so everyone knows, every session there will be a 100XP role playing bonus that is available to every character. It will be given out only for excellent role playing during that night. It can be consistent role playing the whole time, or it can a single big monologue/backstory/impromptu-whatever. The xp bonus will likely go up as we level. So get hyped.<br /><br />Let me know what you think. Another post is coming with the back story of what you are doing when we start on Saturday but I’m not sure when I’m going to get that out; might not be until Saturday morning.<br /></span>Brian Zunigahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00921685129806166906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-57001754797859217232009-04-22T13:54:00.000-07:002009-06-05T10:43:48.989-07:00The Curious Tale of SarielLotheryn, Anca, and I found our way to a nearby city. I told Lotheryn that before we began our crusade, I had a little shopping to do. Having lost my flail some months ago, my skill with a bow had increased substantially. However, if you are someone who can feel comfortable without a large spiky ball on a chain nestled at your side, well, you are a better half-elf than I. I needed that cold, heavy steel.<br /><br />So I found a good blacksmith and talked to him about obtaining a new flail. Luckily, he had just made one for a half-orc who was not going to be able to use it (according to the blacksmith's story, it is advisable not to cheat at card games with mountain trolls; apparently you wind up with two less hands than when you started). I asked him if he could modify the weapon for me, and the smith agreed. He could get it to me by later in the afternoon.<span class="fullpost"> <br /><br />In the meantime, we sat in a nice grassy area in the middle of city, munching on some local fare and really letting our minds wander for the first time in months. I was just about to doze off when I saw someone approaching purposefully. It was a tall slender woman with pale blonde hair. She was similar in appearance to an elf, although she had pointier ears and a longer face. She wore bright-colored robes, light clothing and had a mirthful smile on her face, but I was still rather wary, seeing the large sword strapped to her back.<br /><br />It turned out that my caution was unnecessary. There was no sense of malice or deception in her voice as she spoke. We had dealt with so many shady characters over the last few years, that it was refreshing to converse someone so openly friendly.<br /><br />"Hello, travellers! I am Sariel. I was told I could find you here. We have many adventures before us," she said, still smiling genuinely.<br /><br />I looked at Lotheryn with confusion. She looked just as surprised by the introduction as I was. The only thing that kept me from becoming suspicious again was the calmness of Anca. Anca could sense danger better than any of us, and the shifter was as relaxed as I'd seen him. So I turned back to the woman and made the obvious reply, "Huh?"<br /><br />She laughed and sat down next to us on the grass. "My god, Garl Glittergold, gave me a vision while I was entranced. I saw representations of the three of you, and felt called to join you on your journey, whatever that may be."<br /><br />That name sounded familiar. I said, "Wait, Gary Glitter? Isn't that the guy who..."<br /><br />Sariel rolled her eyes as she cut me off. "No, there is no relation. Garl is the patron god of the gnomes, the god of laughter and jokes, the god of community, and a lover of justice."<br /><br />This was getting more confusing as we went along. "But you're not..."<br /><br />"A gnome? I know," she said, as if she expected the question. "I will explain it to you as we wait for our fifth companion."<br /><br />This time Lotheryn was the one who spoke up. "Our fifth companion?" she inquired.<br /><br />"Yes, we must wait for her here. Garl revealed a fifth to me, and, unless I am mistaken in my vision, this is where she will meet us. This is where our quest will also be revealed." A quest now, too? Sariel spoke with such confidence that I didn't feel it was my place to question her. Ehlonna had never given me those kinds of visions, that's for certain. Maybe she was crazy (the woman, not Ehlonna; although with the things I'd been through...). But she seemed nice enough, and we had to wait here anyway. Lotheryn didn't seem to mind, so I saw no harm in letting this play its course. <br /><br />As we lounged, Sariel told us her story. It was a bit odd to hear the entire life story of someone I had known for mere minutes, but she was convinced that joining us on a quest was the will of her god. It was clear from the beginning that her somewhat checkered past and passion for justice would fit in well with Lotheryn and I. Here's her tale, as I recall it.<br /><br />She was actually a princess of a very wealthy and powerful Eladrin household. Lotheryn was somewhat familiar with Eladrin, being related through ancestral blood (Eladrin represent the modern day manifestation of the Fey creatures that elves evolved from). I, however, had no clue about the people. Sariel explained to me that Eladrin lived in a place called the Feywild, a realm where faerie creatures and creatures descended from faerie still thrive. This realm "floated" on a separate plane of existence that was loosely connected to our world, allowing Eladrin to travel back and forth. The city that her family ruled straddled the very edge of the Feywild and would appear and disappear in this world at various times. None of that made a bit of sense to me, but I went along with it.<br /><br />The reason for her family's close ties with the "real" world was because a lot of the wealth and power her family had earned had come from their provision of military aid and resources to other good races (notably Elves, Humans, and Halflings) in their struggles against orcs and whatnot. Sariel explained that this wasn't exactly typical of an Eladrin society, but that despite their involvement with other races, they still maintained a sense of superiority and detachment from this world. <br /><br />She had grown up in the palace, living a life of comfort. She was kind of spoiled throughout much of her childhood, although she never took herself or her family as seriously as her formal training in grace and manners seemed to suggest she should. <br /><br />One day, a group of gnomes showed up while her city was present in the non-Feywild world (this was getting confusing, and also reminding me of Cat Stevens songs). The gnomes asked for assistance in dealing with an encroachment of giants and ogres onto the lands adjacent to theirs. The Eladrin were generally friendly with gnomes, having shared a descendancy from creatures in the Feywild. However, Sariel's father, the magistrate, was becoming increasingly wary of involvement outside of the Feywild. The last venture he had taken had turned out poorly for the Eladrin, and he wanted to be more cautious. He told the gnomes that he needed time to consult with his council. He would send word in a week. <br /><br />Meanwhile, Sariel had been given the task of making sure the gnomes were taken care of properly during their stay at her palace. This gave her the opportunity to get to know them, having never seen gnomes before. Sariel found she liked their sense of humor and quirkiness, and appreciated their love of beautiful objects. She quickly took a liking to one of the clerics who was with the gnomes, fascinated by his stories of exploits in the service of his god, Garl Glittergold. <br /><br />Sariel began to ruminate on how unsatisfied she was with her current lifestyle. Her parents were pressuring her to train in wizardry, claiming that the arcane arts were suitable for someone of her upbringing. Sariel was much more interested in close combat and swordplay, even taking secret lessons from a schoolfriend who had joined the palace guard. It seemed that even her god, Corellon, wasn't nearly as much fun as this god the gnomes spoke of. Sariel, being trusting and open with her thoughts, shared her unhappiness with the cleric.<br /><br />The morning that the gnomes were set to leave, disappointed in not yet getting an answer from the magistrate, the cleric approached Sariel in secret and asked her to leave with them and join his order. He recognized that her sense of humor and lightheartedness would mesh well in their community. He offered to take her to his monastery and train her in the martial arts, while also showing her the ways of Garl, who would appreciate her personality and bless her for her devotion. Being a tad naïve as to what this all would entail, she eagerly accepted and snuck away with the gnomes when they left.<br /><br />Sariel was unaware of the backlash this would cause. Her parents were greatly angered and sent guards to bring her back, but she refused. The gnomes were supportive of her position and encouraged her to remain with them, even though the eladrin had decided not to lend support to their cause against the invaders. Sariel's parents soon cut off all contact with her. In the meantime, her training commenced and she was subjected to the most rigorous discipline she had ever experienced; it was not quite what she had expected and certainly presented a harder lifestyle than she had previously endured. But the gnomes were fun people, and Sariel enjoyed their sense of community and curiosity. Despite her homesickness and exhaustion, she stuck with it. After several years, she was initiated as an avenger of Garl Glittergold, the first ever member of another race to earn that distinction.<br /><br />Unfortunately, shortly after that joyous occasion, the gnome settlement near Sariel's monastery was attacked by a large band of ogres. The ogres were eventually repelled, but there were heavy losses on the gnomes' side. Sariel fought bravely in the battle, but despite her prowess, the cleric who had recruited her (and who had since become high priest of the monastery) was killed in battle. In short order, a new high priest was chosen by the local leadership, but this priest was mistrustful of her. Sariel was an outsider, he claimed, and her family had rejected their plea for help. She would no longer be welcome in their community. Many gnomes that trained beside her at the monastery were angered by this decision, and stood by her side. Their support was to no avail. Ultimately, the new high priest’s edict was set down, and she was exiled.<br /><br />While this hurt Sariel deeply, she maintained a deep kinship with the gnomish race and their ways, understanding that it wasn’t the entire people that had forced her out, but one paranoid individual. She also still had the favor of Garl Glittergold and felt her work as an avenger in his service had just begun. Still, not knowing where to turn, Sariel looked first to her old eladrin family. She hoped that there was some way she could use her training for the service of her own people. Upon arriving at the city, she was not even allowed through the gate. Apparently her family had felt too betrayed by her defection to forgive her. <br /><br />So Sariel wandered. It was tough to make a living, as Sariel's only formal training had been in religion and swordsmanship. Fortunately for her survival, the gnomes had also taught her to be quick with her hands and lithe on her feet. She moved from city to city, finding work when she could, but often stealing when there was no other choice (but, she emphasized at this part of the story, only from wicked, wealthy lords who used their power to support injustice). This went on for several years. <br /><br />Finally, Sariel found a somewhat honest living by offering her services as a swordsman to a large troupe of travelling comedians and circus-folk. Not glamorous, to be sure, and many of the troupe were morally questionable individuals with checkered pasts. In general, though, they were fun people who liked to laugh. Plus, this position had the added bonus of decent pay, eliminating the need for thieving - an activity Sariel was skilled at, but not something she enjoyed. <br /><br />She travelled with this group for some time, keeping them safe from bandits and wandering monsters. Sariel related to us the first time she encountered trouble, when two local bandits tried to strong arm the troupe into paying them for passage through the area. When Sariel refused to pay, the bandits simply laughed at her and tried to take the cash box by force. Twenty seconds later, when both were lying dead on the ground, Sariel fully understood just how much power Garl Glittergold had bestowed on her. <br /><br />After a year, she began to realize that Garl had something more for her than simply scaring petty thieves away from a minstrel troupe. It was fine that she was protecting these people in the name of humor and laughter, but Sariel knew that there was a greater good that her god wanted her to fight for. She wasn’t yet sure what that was, but her soul felt a distinct calling. Sariel resolved that she would leave the group at the next decent-sized town they entered in order to seek the new purpose that Garl had for her life.<br /><br />After sneaking away from the company and finding a quiet place to enter into a trance, Sariel was led to us. And here we were. Waiting for some other mysterious adventurer. This day had gotten strange in a hurry.<br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-47134266960705821982009-04-16T20:09:00.000-07:002009-06-05T13:16:08.868-07:00A New BeginningIt was over. Well, almost over. The journey we had started was coming to a finish. I guess it was never really my journey to begin with, but I couldn’t help but feel some sort of connection to it, having been involved for so long.<br /><br />I glanced over at Lotheryn, who was picking her way determinedly through the forest, clearly wrapped up in her own thoughts. Anca trotted along beside her. Having had no real home for such a long time, I couldn’t imagine the emotions that she must be feeling. Returning to her kin and her Grove (the source of her being, really) after being away for so long, having completed the task she set out to accomplish, bringing her people the power they needed to restore their environment. That power was in the form of a simple flower, the <em>terellor</em>, still embedded in a clump of dirt and nestled carefully in Lotheryn’s pack. <span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Yeah, we found it. It took almost a year after our fellowship split up, but we finally found it. These things are always in the last place you look.<br /><br />I couldn’t keep my thoughts from drifting back over the occurrences of the last year.<br /><br />After I caught up with Lotheryn and Anca following our little "mining expedition," we made our way north to a decent sized city called Urgor. Lotheryn knew of a plant expert (by the odd name of Ratlab) who might be able to help her on her quest. We found the guy rather easily. Unfortunately, the reason it was so easy is because the man had apparently just gone completely mad, began casting lightning bolts at anyone wearing a dark cloak, screamed about something called the “Cult of Stone,” and then changed himself into a large alder tree and planted himself in the middle of the marketplace.<br /><br />The halfling merchant we were conversing with pointed to the left, noticing the skeptical expression on my face. “It’s right there if you want to see it. Happened just two days ago. Quite a lovely tree, I might add. Wouldn’t mind a tree like that in my garden back home. While you’re here, could I interest you in any asparagus?”<br /><br />“Ugh. No thanks.” I muttered. I flipped the man a couple coppers for his troubles and turned to Lotheryn. “Well, that certainly puts a damper on the start of our mission. Any other leads you know of?”<br /><br />The elf looked like she was about to cry. “No. Everywhere I’ve gone I’ve met with nothing but dead ends. I keep having this vision of a flower embedded at the top of a mountain of rock, with sheer cliffs on each side, no way to reach it. It looks like that is my destiny. I thank you for your willingness to aid me, but I feel I must return to my Grove. They will need to know of my failure.” She began sobbing in the middle of the street, oblivious to the glances we were getting from the passersby.<br /><br />What was I supposed to do? I’m pretty bad at the whole “empathy” thing. I was more uncomfortable in that situation than I had been when we fought that red dragon. At least then I could let my bow do the communicating. It spoke much more clearly and authoritatively than I did, that’s for sure. Then I had an idea.<br /><br />I patted her shoulder gently, as a rather poor means of calming her down. “Well, this guy had to have journals, logs, or a library of some sort. I’m no rogue, but I can sneak around with the best of them. We’ll find his house and I’ll try to get us in to do some research.”<br /><br />Thankfully, that seemed to take the edge off of Lotheryn’s despair. Our halfling merchant was able to tell us where we could find the man’s home, although he couldn’t do it without another sales pitch. Lotheryn bought some broccoli from him, just to make him happy. We spent the rest of the day in a dark corner of a tavern, the druid sitting quietly munching on nasty green vegetables, while I thought about how were going to get into the herbalist’s home.<br /><br />We waited an hour after nightfall and were about to leave our table when three well-armed, angry looking dwarves barged into the tavern. I immediately recognized them from Odo’s clan. Something told me that it was probably not a good idea to say hello at the moment. It turned out to be a good instinct.<br /><br />One of the dwarves stepped forward and shouted, “If any of you has seen or heard tell of a gnome called ‘Moonglum,’ step forward and provide any information you possess. Any credible information we receive will be paid for, while anyone caught concealing information will be held duly accountable.”<br /><br />The bartender made a feeble attempt at trying to get the dwarves to leave, mumbling that they were going to be bad for business, but he was quickly silenced by a glare from the bearded man who had spoken. When no one stepped forward to offer up intelligence, the dwarves began making their way around the tavern, harshly questioning individuals.<br /><br />I looked at Lotheryn. “I think that was our cue to leave.” She nodded silently as we slipped out of our booth and made our way to the back door, hoping that we had escaped unseen. Thankfully, we had left Anca outside at the rear of the tavern, otherwise we would have been given away for sure.<br /><br />I seethed as we snuck out. Hearing the gnome’s name made me angry all over again at what he had done back in the depths of Odo’s mine. And apparently he had done something else, as well, to tick off the dwarves that badly. I had no intention of finding out what it was. I was perfectly happy to be as far away from that wizard as possible. As it turned out, that was the last time we heard any mention of our previous companions.<br /><br />We breathed a sigh of relief as we collected Anca and made our way out of sight of the tavern. It was a quick walk from there, down a few back alleys, to Ratlab’s house. As we arrived I felt confident that we remained incognito.<br /><br />“What now?” Lotheryn whispered, as we crouched down beside a rear window. “How do we get in?”<br /><br />I took one last look around the alleyway to make sure no one was spying on our activities, and then I calmly broke the window with the haft of my flail. The elf looked appalled.<br /><br />“What? I told you I’m no rogue. This is how I do things. Besides, the guy’s a tree. He’s not going to miss his back window. Let’s just get in there and do our business, shall we?” I said. Even in the near blackness, I could see Lotheryn roll her eyes.<br /><br />The three of us hopped in, lit a couple of candles and began our search. The place was a disaster. It looked as if a typhoon had gone around the place a few times and then called a tornado in to finish the job. We gathered up all the tomes and notebooks we could find and began perusing them for any hint of the <em>terellor</em>.<br /><br />I was halfway through a riveting classic about the germination of fir trees, when, without warning, a brilliant orb of light lit the room. Completely startled, I dropped the tome I was reading. Anca crouched down, growling and ready to leap. I turned and slowly opened my eyes, letting them adjust to the new brightness.<br /><br />Standing there, holding a staff tipped with a crystal that was the source of the light was a very tall man of medium build. The man looked to be past middle age, with jet black hair and beard, streaked with white in various places. His face was stern, but I could see some amusement in his eyes as he regarded our state of shock.<br /><br />“Well?” He started in a booming voice. “You have approximately 17 and a half seconds to convince me not to turn each of you into smoking piles of ash.”<br /><br />I was still trying to figure out where I might be able to obtain a clean set of undergarments at this hour when Lotheryn spoke up. As freaked out as I was, she spoke without a quaver in her voice.<br /><br />“Sir, we did not intend any harm. I am searching for information that Ratlab was said to possess. This information would lead me to a flower that holds the ability to save my home. I was hoping to speak with Ratlab myself, but he has passed, as you know. This was my last option, and I took it out of desperation, not malice. Please forgive our intrusion.”<br /><br />I was impressed by her composure, and apparently the sorcerer was impressed as well. His face softened considerably. “My name is Suiag. Lab was a good friend of mine for many, many years. I know of the information that you seek. I tried to pry it from him myself, but he never gave it to me. Every time I asked, he would look at me with a mischievous grin and tell me ‘Only my true friend can know that.’ I never fully understood what he meant by that. And now I never will.”<br /><br />The big man sighed as he seated himself on a stool in the corner of the room. He gave a quick whistle and to our astonishment, Anca trotted over and seated himself beside Suiag, even allowing him to scratch his ears. “That information would have been quite useful, as you well know. I take it that you heard mention of the Cult of Stone?” Lotheryn and I both nodded. “They are most likely the ones responsible for the decay of your Grove. This is a group of evil men, some of whom have become wraiths, twisted by their ill-advised dabbling in necromancy. The short of it is that the power they possess is limited by growing things, and so they seek to destroy especially those who would nurture the flora of the world. There are some powers that druids and shamans wield that can combat the spread of the disease they have inflicted upon fields and forests, but only the <em>terellor</em> has the power to actually cure it.”<br /><br />This story was getting bleaker and bleaker. Hopefully the sorcerer would give us at least some good news. He continued, “Lab obviously guarded this information closely, knowing that it would be abused in the wrong hands. Unfortunately for you, by the time it became obvious that the information needed to be shared with someone who could use it for good, his brain had been addled by a confrontation with a rather powerful mind flayer. As you can see from the curious collection of random objects, he became rather eccentric in the last couple years, hoarding pieces of junk that he thought were significant in some way.”<br /><br />I glanced around the room, really seeing it for the first time. Among the myriad items, there was a strange carving of a man’s distorted face, a small statuette of a scantily clad woman who appeared to be wearing a skirt made of grass, and a multi-colored cube. I asked about this last item.<br /><br />“That?” the sorcerer grunted as he picked it up. “This is some sort of puzzle. Apparently the pieces can be moved around so that each side consists of only one unique color. He was constantly fiddling with this thing, claiming that it held the key to his destiny. You may have it, if you wish. As far as I know, no one has ever solved it.” He tossed it to me. Hey, I like a good puzzle every now and then.<br /><br />Lotheryn interrupted us, urgency in her voice “So is there no clue here as to where we can find the <em>terellor</em>?”<br /><br />Suiag shook his head. “Certainly none that I know of. Members of the Cult were here looking, and they couldn’t find anything either. They obviously didn't pick up after themselves. You are welcome to look around if you’d like, but I’ll tell you that I have read every word on every piece of paper in this place, and nothing will lead you to your answer. I am sorry.”<br /><br />We gave one last look around the room. I was ready to turn and head back out the window when Lotheryn spoke up. “I find it strange that a lover of plants such as this would not have a dwelling full of green life. The only growing thing I see is that small tree in the pot over there.” She pointed at a tiny tree on the window sill. Something was funny about that tree, other than the fact that it was the smallest tree I had ever seen. It couldn’t have been more than 12 inches tall. I looked closer, and then I realized it.<br /><br />“Hey, that tree looks exactly like the one Ratlab turned into in the marketplace. It seems to be withering and dying, but the color and shape of the tree is the exact same.”<br /><br />The large spellcaster looked over. “Well, I suppose you’re right. I don’t see what significance that poses, other than that he liked this particular plant.”<br /><br />Lotheryn said, “You are probably correct, but still, I have some ability to talk to plants and trees. Before we go, I would like to see if it has anything it can share.”<br /><br />Lotheryn gently placed her hands on the small, frail branches. I could see that she was vocalizing something, but her voice was inaudible. This had gone on for some time when I heard a loud snap and saw that the tree had collapsed. Lotheryn had a tear in her eye, as she turned to us, but her words reflected respect and admiration rather than sadness.<br /><br />“This tree has spent the last of its life energy to communicate with me. What I heard was, ‘The life of the star flower is held by Elanor the Grower.’ That was all.” She looked at the sorcerer expectantly. Suiag, who had an air about him that indicated his ability to handle just about anything, suddenly seemed unsure of himself.<br /><br />After a moment spent deep in thought, the man spoke, “Ratlab must have shared his secret only with the tree, his ‘true friend.’ And he probably didn’t keep other plants around because he knew that the tree would communicate with them in its own way, and his secret would be in danger. As to the message, the ‘star flower’ refers to the <em>terellor</em>, its shape being very unique, as its petals and leaves form seven-pointed stars. Elanor the Grower is the name of the second oldest living creature around. At least, I assume she’s still living. She is, or was, an elf, a daughter of one of the original elves that were formed out of faerie. It would make sense that she would know the location of the <em>terellor</em> but I had no idea she was still alive or that should would possess this information.”<br /><br />“Well,” I started, impatient to get the show on the road now that we had our lead, “Where do we find this lady?”<br /><br />“That is the problem,” Suiag said. “As far as I know, the only one who’s been in contact with her over the last few centuries is the <em>oldest</em> living creature in the world. The green dragon known as Emraung. Last I heard, he was living amidst an old forest in the Northern Reaches.”<br /><br />“Emraung!” I was incredulous. “That dragon is just a fairy tale. Even if such a dragon existed, it must be long dead by now. This is the same dragon that supposedly gave advice to the gods when they were creating plants and animals. Surely you don’t expect us to go looking for a myth.”<br /><br />“You are not as smart as you think you are, ranger,” Suiag snapped sharply. “This world is full of strange things, and a several hundred thousand year old dragon is one of them. Do you want my help, or are you going to question me further?”<br /><br />I looked at Lotheryn. She looked back at me with hope in her eyes, the first I’d seen of that in awhile. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders, still skeptical of the whole thing. “Yes, we want your help. What can you do for us?”<br /><br />The sorcerer told us of a wizard he was acquainted with on the edge of the Northern Reaches. He told us he could teleport us to the wizard, who would be able to give us information on how to find Emraung. Suiag told us to meet him at his quarters when we were ready to leave. Then he was gone in a flash of light. I looked at Lotheryn, “Here we go, I guess.”<br /><br />We had the sorcerer teleport us the next morning. I could spend several novels telling you of the various encounters we had on our journey, but I’m not sure I remember them all, and I’m not sure I could accurately relate the ones I do remember. We traveled for some time with an old cleric, who was in the area as part of a mission from his god to chronicle the history of the Norther Reaches. His piety got on my nerves sometimes, but he did teach me a neat trick which would allow me to channel energy (which he claimed was granted to me by my god, Ehlonna) in a ray of light that would burn my enemies and grant favor to my allies. I don’t know how that all works, but hey, it is dang useful when I run out of arrows.<br /><br />After we parted ways with the cleric, we walked for months until we found signs of the dragon. Even using all my tracking skills, it was blind luck that allowed us to stumble into the cave where Emraung made his home, deep in the heart of the largest forest I’d ever seen or heard of.<br /><br />Of all the details that I've forgotten about that journey, the encounter with the dragon was something I will never forget.<br /><br />As soon as we entered, we heard the gravelly, commanding voice of the dragon, “Come in, travelers. Come and look upon my glory before you perish in my jaws.”<br /><br />Well, this was off to a promising start. Every impulse in my body told me to turn and run; my brain convinced me that my training would allow me to hide from this creature until it was safe to get out of the forest. But I steeled myself and led the way inside the dragon’s lair.<br /><br />Emraung was the most massive living thing I had ever seen. All of a sudden the claim that this beast was eons old didn’t seem quite so preposterous. At that point, I was willing to believe anything anyone told me as long as it meant I could leave that place alive.<br /><br />The dragon addressed each of us by name. How it knew us, I have no idea.<br /><br />“Well, Taran the Witless, Lotheryn the Lost, and Anca the Blindly Loyal. You have come a long way to see me. I smell the blood of one of my red grandchildren on your persons. Fortunately for your existence, I never liked the red ones all that much. More trouble than they were worth. But that is neither here nor there." <br /><br />The dragon fixed an eye on each of us, seeming to stare into our hearts and minds. It was disconcerting to say the least. He said, "Your quest is to find Elanor, my good friend of many millennia. I am not in the habit of granting information to random visitors, preferring simply to consume them. However, since I am not particularly hungry for food at the moment, I will make you a deal. You have one hour to satisfy my main hunger – something to occupy my mind. You see, I have encountered everything this world has to offer, and some that it hasn’t. It has taken quite a long time, but after so many years my life has lost its vigor. If you can provide me with a diversion from my disinterest, you will have your answer. If you cannot, I will have my supper.” The dragon laughed mirthlessly at this last witticism.<br /><br />Lotheryn and I were at a loss. After about 45 minutes, we started throwing random ideas at the dragon, all of which were rejected without a second thought. A sudden dread swept over me as I realized that this was the end of our journey. Our blood, sweat, and tears spent on this quest had been in vain, all because a dragon was bored out of his mind. Oh how I love injustice.<br /><br />I looked at Anca and then at my pack, wondering if I could somehow create a diversion long enough for the wolf to take my journal and sprint away. At least our story would survive. Maybe some bard would make a song out of us some day. All of a sudden, the answer came to me.<br /><br />“Oh wise Emraung, mightiest of all dragons, wisest living creature,” I started with a flourish. He probably knew I was kissing his giant, scaly green ass, but I didn’t care. “As powerful a mind as you possess, I know one riddle that you have never solved. In fact, this riddle remains unanswered by any living being. This riddle is so profound that its originator went mad when he could not solve his own creation.” I completely made this last part up, but I thought it sounded good.<br /><br />The dragon’s interest was piqued. I reached into my bag and tossed him the multi-colored cube I had taken from Ratlab’s house. The dragon turned it over and began moving pieces around. There was silence as the giant beast put his full concentration on the puzzle. After a minute that seemed like eternity, the dragon began to laugh.<br /><br />“Wonderful! This should keep me busy for some time. Although I warn you, if I cannot solve it in several years, I may become frustrated and decide to eat a village or two. For your sakes, I would make sure you are well out of the region by then,” Emraung said. We breathed a collective sigh of relief. We would live. And we would get our answer. <br /><br />Emraung spoke again, “You will find Elanor in a deep valley that can only be entered through a secret door in a mountain due north of here. The door is revealed every sunrise by a shaft of light that shines on a green rock embedded at the base of the mountain. The rock is perfectly round. While the sun is shining on the rock, the druid must speak ‘Open’ in the language of the plants. You must hurry as the light only lasts for several seconds. The door will open to the valley and there you will find your elf, tending to the last remnants of ancient life that exist in the world. Now begone from here. I have a puzzle to solve.”<br /><br />We couldn’t have left any faster. We sprinted out the entrance to the cave, took our bearings, and began to make our way north. It took another month, but we finally found the door to the valley and opened it. Once inside, we were amazed at the life we saw. Things that only existed in stories flourished in this place. We found Elanor, who led us to the flower that Lotheryn sought. She carefully removed it from the ground, complete with fertile soil from the earth, and handed to Lotheryn. She never spoke, seeming to know our intent, and we both seemed to understand that there was no need for words in that place. Afterward, though, as we left the hallowed valley, Lotheryn told me that she heard words in her mind.<br /><br />“It seemed that she said ‘Your work has yet to begin.’ After all this time, I feel like my mission is almost complete, and yet it seems I have much left to do. What could she mean?” Lotheryn asked, half rhetorically.<br /><br />I just shrugged. Ancient elves are certainly not my area of expertise.<br /><br />We took several more months to find our way back to the wizard that had guided us to the dragon’s lair. An unfortunate incident with some gnolls along the way resulted in the loss of my flail, Narqualme, but I was happy to be back in civilization. The wizard ported us to a location near Lotheryn’s Grove. We began the several day walk to her homeland, which is where we currently found ourselves.<br /><br />We walked on, getting closer to the Grove. Lotheryn looked at me with a frown, “Something is not right. Look at the trees! Look at the undergrowth! Listen…”<br /><br />I looked and listened. The plantlife seemed to be dying, and there were more fallen trees then elsewhere in the forest. It seemed like there was more rock strewn about than one would normally find in a forest so far from a mountain range. I also heard nothing – no sound of bird or other animal. Lotheryn and Anca, sensing a need for urgency, began to jog and then broke into a full run. I could go pretty fast when I wanted to, but I couldn’t keep up with those two.<br /><br />They had just gotten out of sight when I heard a wild scream. It was Lotheryn. I sprinted toward the sound, praying that nothing bad had happened. I made for a ring of broken trees that stood directly before me. As I burst through, I saw the reason for the druid’s scream.<br /><br />What I had thought were trees had been turned to stone and broken off, lying in pieces on the ground, which had also become mostly rock. Bodies of elves were strewn about, some frozen into rock as well. But of more concern was the dark-robed necromancer still standing in the middle of the clearing.<br /><br />Lotheryn was summoning a ball of fire as I joined the battle. Anca was circling the evil wizard, biting and clawing when he could get past the lightning bolts it was casting and trying to turn it away from his master. Lotheryn finally released the fireball, causing the necromancer to shriek in pain and turn suddenly on the druid. He began to gather a lightning bolt in his hand. I unslung my bow and drew an arrow, but it was too late. Anca jumped and bit the necromancer’s hand just as the bolt was about to be released. Its violent energy discharged into Anca and threw the wolf against one of the stone trees, where he lay motionless.<br /><br />In a blind rage I loosed my arrow, striking the thing square in the chest. As I nocked another arrow, I turned to Lotheryn. She had her eyes closed tightly as her chest heaved in fury. Before I could fire another round, she began to transform in front of my eyes, changing from the beautiful elf that I had come to know and love into a large wolf, alike in almost every way to the one lying motionless behind us. She charged the necromancer, catching it off guard as she mangled one of its arms. Regaining my composure, I looked for another shot, but I couldn’t risk firing with Lotheryn darting in and out of the way. Just as I thought she had the fight won, the necromancer released a burst of energy, throwing Lotheryn to the ground and knocking her unconscious.<br /><br />The wizard was bent in pain from the wounds we had inflicted, bleeding whatever passed for blood in that warped body that may once have been human. It turned to look at me as I moved closer for a point blank shot.<br /><br />“You are too late…” It hissed through pointed teeth. “Your world will be stone. You cannot stop…”<br /><br />“Enough," I interrupted, glaring at the necromancer. "Tell me where we can find the rest of your Cult so so I can make sure they suffer as much as you have.”<br /><br />The thing hissed at me again, seeming to laugh, “You cannot stop us…Stone cannot be made to suffer…”<br /><br />“Wrong answer.” I sent my arrow into its eye, silencing it for good. The body crumbled into small pebbles as it hit the ground, leaving only its black robes as evidence that it had ever existed. I quickly turned and looked for Lotheryn, who had returned to the shape of an elf, and was picking herself up off the ground. I went to help her, but she brushed me aside and ran to Anca.<br /><br />The wolf was barely breathing. I could see the pain in his yellow eyes as Lotheryn reached down to stroke his fur. Silently weeping, she picked up the large wolf in a feat of strength that could only have been accomplished with the raw anguish that was coursing through her.<br /><br />She took Anca to the center of the clearing and laid him down. I followed closely behind, not wanting to interrupt her last moments with her dearest friend and companion. Finally she seemed to notice me.<br /><br />“I am sorry. I must speak the words that will grant Anca a peaceful death. I want him to be at rest here in the Grove where I first met him so many years ago,” Lotheryn’s voice was shaking, barely above a whisper. But as she leaned over to send Anca to his final destination, we heard a groan behind us.<br /><br />“Lotheryn…wait.” The voice said, louder now. We both turned. One of the elves that we had assumed dead was feebly motioning us over. “Bring…the wolf.”<br /><br />It was obvious that the elf could not rise, as his lower half had been turned to stone and merged with the ground. The sight made me sick to stomach, but I went beside Lotheryn as she gently placed Anca on the ground beside the man and knelt next to him.<br /><br />“Master Rillin,” she began. “What happened here? I…I have finally returned. And I have brought…I have brought the <em>terellor</em>.” Her voice cracked with emotion.<br /><br />“You have done well…child. Too late…for this…Grove.” The druid master seemed to gather his strength. “Cult of Stone…is dangerous. You have…seen…touched…the beast within. You know…your capabilities now. You…are a druid.” His breath was coming in ragged gasps. Lotheryn lowered her head as the tears streamed down her face.<br /><br />“Need a…guardian on…your quest to…preserve life. There…is some strength left…deep…in this Grove. Anca…bestowed with power…Wolf…Elf…Nature…your Warden.”<br /><br />With the last of his strength, Rillin put his hand on Anca’s barely moving chest and closed his eyes. What occurred next is almost beyond description, but I’ll do my best. Not 10 minutes ago, I saw a normal elf turn into a wolf without warning, but this was even crazier than that. I saw what remained of the green vitality in the Grove drained to brown and gray as power seemed to flow into the wolf. Gradually, Anca grew and stood slightly crouched on his two hind legs, becoming a kind of half elf, half wolf. His wounds were healed as he stood before us, looking at us with the same knowing, wise yellow eyes that he had when he was Lotheryn’s animal companion. There was a sadness in those eyes, but it was not the sadness of Anca the wolf or even the sadness of the elven community that had lived in the Grove. Rather it was the sadness of the trees and flowers that had given the last of their essence to live inside this new body. They grieved as they realized that they would never again feel the flow of water through their veins or take in the rich nutrients of the soil through roots buried in good earth. It was that pain that showed on Anca’s face as the natural power within him gradually understood that nothing remained of the beauty that once surrounded them in the Grove. He looked to the sky and howled in agony, releasing all the frustration and despair that was roiling inside him.<br /><br />There was something therapeutic in that cry, as the sadness soon passed. The three beings, newly joined in one body, came to recognize and accept each other’s existence. There was harmony in their co-habitation, and I saw resolve and fierce loyalty as the former wolf-turned-shapeshifter looked at Lotheryn. I knew that Anca would be a better, stronger guardian now than ever before, infused with the power of Nature itself as he protected us wherever we would go.<br /><br />Lotheryn looked at me with intense, indescribable emotion.<br /><br />“We must go. I cannot be in this place any more. We will start a new journey from this moment on. And wherever that journey leads us, we will heal the earth.”<br /><br />I nodded silently. We turned and walked from the former druid haven, never to return there.<br /><br />Here we go again.<br /><br /><br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-62791905293650839262009-04-14T09:22:00.000-07:002009-04-14T09:25:29.266-07:00Thursday?Ducks playoff game and rolling of the characters this Thursday? I'm hyped. Saturday the 25th can't come fast enough. What are you thinking of rolling Bethany? Hopefully, between you and Angela, we'll have a leader and a striker but feel free to weigh your options. You seem like you would enjoy a leader though, especially since they do lots of super cool things in 4e rather than just heal dudes like in 3.5. Shaman? Warlord? The return of the Bard?!?!Brian Zunigahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00921685129806166906noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-62674930212124658942009-04-07T17:05:00.000-07:002009-04-07T18:52:02.088-07:00The reflexes of a cat, the speed of a mongooseNo time has been wasted! I recycled, I cashed in all the change I've been hording, I even DEed all my healing gear and sold the shards (wait, wrong game, sorry) and ended up with a surprising amount of cash. So I checked some prices at a few bookstores, quickly realized that amazon.com might be my dearest friend and now, after 3 days of shipping, arriving at my house will be the full gamut of 4e gear. I'll have the three core books, the player's handbook 2, the first module (Keep on the Shadowfel) and I even had enough money left over to spring for the Dungeon Master's Screen. That's right, I have a giant cardboard screen to block your prying eyes, and it even gives me super useful states on the back. I am a role-playing master!!!!!<br /><br />Anyway, I'll be ready to go when we have our inaugural gathering on April 25th. It really might be nice if we had more than one copy of some of these books, but we can make it work no matter what. The player's handbook (1 and 2) each cost about $23 on amazon. If you guys want to split the cost of 1 or both of those, that might be really handy so we can have multiple copies of the rules, skills, feats, class features, etc. I have the full version of the character creator on my laptop now too so that should make figuring out our characters super easy.<br /><br />Anyway, let's get hyped! It's D&D time again! (But I'm not really a nerd, I swear)Brian Zunigahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00921685129806166906noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-2964217891364536922009-03-25T17:27:00.000-07:002009-03-25T17:29:38.321-07:00Um...It's March. It's getting dangerously close to April, actually. Where is the new player's handbook? Is anyone in possession of this yet? I have yet to find an official release date via Googleing all this... I've just found "March 2009."<br /><br />Let's do this!Ieuannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-15512056500493851572009-01-19T15:22:00.000-08:002009-01-19T15:25:18.417-08:00'Cause it's D'n'D... it's dyno-mite!We should resume, in some form, our D&amp;D adventures. Perhaps next time we won't play for three hours at a time, but I'm not ready to give up on this game. <br /><br />I haven't even bought and painted my own elven sorceror! And that IS high on my list of things to do.Ieuannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-21212163101215900372008-12-16T23:50:00.000-08:002008-12-17T13:51:58.105-08:00Adventure 6 (addendum): Gnome More PleaseThe gnome muttered to himself as he rifled through the chest. “Eccentric, they say. Strange, they say. Oversized lawn ornament, he calls me. If I was twice HIS size, he wouldn’t say such things. I’ll show him though. Before long HE will be begging ME for help, and we’ll see who’s bigger then. Ain’t that right?” Moonglum looked over at Odo, standing motionless, a look of anger frozen on the dwarf’s face. The hold person spell Moonglum had cast was still working like a charm.<br /><br />The wizard shut the chest in frustration. “Where is it, dwarf? Where is my ‘precious’?” As Moonglum looked at the chieftain, he noticed a small bulge on one side of his tunic.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />“Aha!” he cried as he lifted the red pendant from Odo’s clothing. “Well well, now I have MY reward,” Moonglum said, putting the pendant in a pouch at his hip and picking up his quarterstaff. “I do not envy you the headache you will have when you wake up, but sleep well, and dream of bearded women.” The gnome struck Odo over the head with his staff just as the spell wore off. He swiftly gathered his gear, quietly slipped out of the chamber, and began to make his way to the mine’s main gates.<br /><br />Moonglum traveled unmolested through the dwarf city. He got a few suspicious glances, as he did everywhere he went (he was a GNOME, after all), but no one showed any indication that they knew what he had done. A smirk came across his face as he contemplated his own cunning. He had purposefully waited to make his move until the rest of his party left, suspecting that there was a good chance he would incur their wrath if he showed his face around them again. He didn’t think they were entirely justified in their anger, considering he was the one who almost singlehandedly killed that beast. But he couldn’t get too frustrated; after all, none of them possessed anywhere near the intelligence necessary to understand why he did the things he did.<br /><br /><em>That’s the way it’s always been</em>, he thought, sighing to himself. Which of them could have hatched this plan? He had waited until Odo was alone in his room, snuck in, cast the spell before the dwarf could say Mibbifoodle, and took the jewel. His grin grew wider as he looked down at the pouch containing the glowing pendant. Moonglum began to imagine the price it would fetch from certain buyers he knew; he dreamed about the power he could wield if he decided to keep the gem for himself and tweak the magic just a little. The gnome was so engrossed in his own fantasy that he jumped five feet in the air when he felt a soft touch on his arm.<br /><br />“It wasn’t me, it was the one-armed man!” Moonglum shouted as he turned around. There was Amaryllis, looking at him with an eyebrow raised in confusion. “Oh, it’s you. Why are you still here? Didn’t you leave with the others?”<br /><br />“No, I decided to stay,” she told him. “You see, before my town was destroyed and I joined a traveling acrobatic troupe to earn my keep, I was a teacher in my community. I noticed there are a lot of children here with not many people to teach them. I may not be a dwarf, but Odo saw how well the children liked me and asked me to stay. I like the community here and I knew some of the others were going back to their own homes, so I agreed.”<br /><br />She paused and looked him over, noticing that he had all his gear. “Where are you going?” she asked.<br /><br />Moonglum thought for a minute. An idea formed in his head. He liked Amaryllis. The halfling had apparently already forgiven him for the fireball incident while the others had been either angry or dismissive toward him. She was a good companion and her skills as a rogue would be extremely useful on his journeys. <em>Plus</em>, he thought, <em>she is pretty cute.</em> He decided to tell her the truth – a slightly modified version of it, anyway.<br /><br />“I am escaping,” he told Amaryllis, dropping his voice to a whisper. “I happened to overhear Odo talking to one of his clerics about that pendant he found. He was plotting use it to conquer Lord Bolt’s kingdom. He wanted the cleric to gather a council of magic users to study the pendant and see if it could be twisted to use for such a purpose. This horrified me, naturally, so when the cleric left, I snuck in and liberated the pendant by knocking Odo unconscious. It doesn’t appear the dwarves have discovered this yet, but they will soon. When they do, we will BOTH be in grave danger.” Moonglum paused to let this sink in. Amaryllis played right into his lie.<br /><br />“Oh no! We will have to leave at once! But I can’t go without my things – I don’t have any of my gear!” the rogue exclaimed frantically, looking like she was about to burst into tears.<br /><br />Moonglum looked around for potential eavesdroppers. Seeing none, he whispered, “We don’t have much time. They may sound the alarm at any second. You have the ability to sneak out of here whenever you want, but I need to be long gone when they find Odo. You go get your things – I will wait for you near the fork in the road two miles north of here. Meet me there at dusk.”<br /><br />The frightened halfling nodded and hurried off to her quarters. Moonglum walked calmly but briskly on to the gates. He nodded at the stationed guards as he strolled confidently through the large arch carved in stone that represented the main entrance to the city. As he did so, he became aware of a commotion arising somewhere behind him. They had found him.<br /><br />He headed south a short distance, summoned a giant centipede in the middle of the path, and hid himself in the foliage on the side of the road. <em>Not a moment too soon, either</em>, he thought as the guards arrived mere seconds after the gnome had moved out of sight. The wizard knew that the centipede would keep them busy for awhile. He also knew that the giant bug would confuse any tracks he may have left. Combined with most dwarves’ poor tracking skills and the rocky terrain, Moonglum was certain that he would be almost impossible to follow. <em>That ranger may have been a boorish pain in the keister, but he did teach me a few valuable things. If only Taran could see me now!</em> he thought triumphantly.<br /><br />The gnome stayed off the path during his northward trek until he arrived without incident just as dusk fell at the prescribed meeting place. Moonglum was diligently surveying the road when he felt another tap on his shoulder. Once again, the wizard nearly soiled his robes in surprise.<br /><br />“You’re good at that,” Moonglum said to Amaryllis after his heart rate had slowed to a manageable level.<br /><br />“Thank you!” Amaryllis said cheerfully. “We halflings are all gifted that way, although I have always been especially good at it. I could sneak up on my friends whenever we played Find-The-Hobbit. I remember one time when I scared my friend Berys so badly…”<br /><br />“Yes, yes. Wonderful.” Moonglum interrupted. He liked the rogue, but he was starting to wonder what exactly he’d gotten himself into. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last time he wondered that. “Did they follow you?”<br /><br />Amaryllis scoffed at the gnome, “Of course not. But they were organizing search parties as I left. They will probably be setting out within the half hour.” She became melancholy all of a sudden. “I was sure that these dwarves had good hearts. Why would they want to attack Lord Bolt? It doesn’t make sense to me…” She trailed off as she looked at the gnome, hoping for an answer.<br /><br />“I’m sure I don’t know!” Moonglum said, trying desperately to keep the nervousness that was wracking his brain from creeping into his voice. The confidence in his own brilliance he’d enjoyed just an hour earlier was fading fast. Now there was a hoard of dwarves preparing to hunt him down. It was time to move on. He put on his pack and gestured north to Amaryllis. The halfling nodded silently and followed the wizard as he picked his way through the undergrowth west of the path.<br /><br />“Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building,” Moonglum muttered under his breath as they vacated their hiding spot.<br /><br />“What was that?” asked Amaryllis from behind him.<br /><br />“Nothing…” Moonglum rolled his eyes. <em>No one ever understands me</em>, the wizard thought dejectedly for the second time that day. But then a realization came to him. Here he was, a powerful magic item in his pocket, traveling with a skilled rogue who was so pure and innocent that she would never question his motives. And she was a babe.<br /><br />The gnome brightened considerably. At the very least, this was going to get interesting. Very interesting. And that was just fine with Moonglum.<br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-54150006300562569602008-12-12T22:20:00.000-08:002008-12-16T00:18:10.593-08:00Adventure 6: The end of the roadOdo had his warhammer back, and now he had his home back as well. After we had finished off the necromancer and his cronies, Odo asked us all to stay with him and celebrate.<br /><br />“Uhh, Odo, I hate to interrupt your dance of joy, but this place is a dump. It’s uninhabitable,” I said, gesturing to the piles of bones and rubble around me.<br /><br />Odo shook his bearded head. “That’s just not true…”<br /><br />“You’re right, actually, I admit I was quite happy to interrupt your dance of joy,” which I thought looked like it could have passed as a mating ritual for a blind gnoll, had that blind gnoll been trying to mate with a rhinocerous. “The point remains, though, that it’s going to be awhile before this place smells like anything other than barbecued evil.”<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Odo, clearly in a good mood, just laughed. “You have not seen what dwarves can do in only a small amount of time. You see, I was so confident in your abilities that I told my clan to follow several days behind me. They should be arriving shortly. This will be home again in no time. Besides, you are all heroes now to my people. They will want to honor you with lavish gifts. Further back I noticed the door to a secret hoard of our finest treasures that was sealed by dwarven runes and was not touched by the necromancer. You will all be rewarded generously as I promised.”<br /><br />None of us could really argue with that, so we decided to stay, and even Lotheryn and Ieuan lightened somewhat in their attitude toward our dwarven friend.<br /><br />Odo was as good as his word. His clan showed up two days later and had the place fit for a king in slightly less than a month. We grew to like the dwarf – it seems that dwarves are gruff only to outsiders, and then only because dwarves have little respect for those who do not share their work ethic. Once you have earned their respect and trust, they become a different people entirely. We spent most days working alongside Odo’s people and most nights feasting in the main hall, which was the first area to be restored to its former glory.<br /><br />The only interruption to our mirth was an unfortunate incident with our simple-minded barbarian. Malak, it seems, had become quite smitten with Odo’s oldest daughter, Grunda. Dinner soon became an awkward affair as Malak, in all his subtlety, insisted on sitting next to Grunda and wooing her with all his might. Mostly this consisted of spilling his food on her lap, but she seemed to enjoy the advances. Odo was still so content with having his kingdom restored that he either didn’t notice or passed it off as innocent flirting.<br /><br />I will never forget, however, the night Odo found Malak, umm, “demonstrating his skill with a broadsword” while “sparring” with Grunda (those unskilled in the euphemistic arts will be slightly confused, but I do not wish this narrative to become inappropriate). As I mentioned previously, I have seen dwarves in battle, filled with fury at their enemies, bellowing war-cries as they fought passionately. I realized, as I was awoken by what I thought was an earthquake, that I had never seen dwarves REALLY mad. I have now. It took me, Bolt, and four dwarven men to restrain Odo from destroying Malak on the spot. When we finally got Malak away from the enraged dwarf, the barbarian seemed confused.<br /><br />“Why is the dwarf angry? I didn’t do anything bad.”<br /><br />“Uhh Malak,” Bolt tried to explain, “As much as Odo is happy that we helped him get his home back, I don’t think his daughter was included in the reward. I’m going to go out on a limb and say he wasn’t planning on having a human as a son-in-law, or grandson for that matter. I would leave now, before he tries to fight you again.”<br /><br />I agreed. “Odo’s not going to let this go. You need to get out of here. NOW,” I said emphatically.<br /><br />Malak may not be the sharpest sword on the rack, but he is certainly proud, and he knew when his honor was being questioned. He looked at both of us with a mixture of anger and sadness. Without a word, he turned and left.<br /><br />Right then, Moonglum appeared from around the corner, sleepily rubbing his eyes.<br /><br />“What’s going on, amigos?”<br /><br />We explained to him that Malak had been caught with Odo’s daughter.<br /><br />The gnome looked confused. “Daughter? Odo doesn’t have a daught…” And then it dawned on him. “That was a woman?!? Holy bearded dwarves, Batman!” I wasn’t familiar with the expression, but I caught the basic gist, and shushed him before he got the rest of us in trouble.<br /><br />When Malak didn’t return, we went to his quarters and observed that all of his gear was gone. The barbarian had simply left. No goodbye, no forwarding address, nothing. Our fellowship had lost its biggest member, and arguably its best fighter. The six of us who remained were gloomy at having lost our companion, but we didn’t have any time to dwell on it. Before we could discuss whether or not we wanted to go after him, we felt a rumble in the earth.<br /><br /><em>What is Odo pissed about now</em>, I thought. Just then two dwarves came rushing into the room, summoning us to the dwarf chieftain’s chambers. Something was up.<br /><br />When we got there, Odo was clearly still angry, but now something else had earned his wrath.<br /><br />“I have a new mission for you adventurers,” he began in a voice that barely held back his rage. “Since your friend has decided to disregard the laws of my house and the basic principles of honor, I will give you the chance to earn your pardon.”<br /><br />Bolt began to object, but Odo silenced him with a look that could have melted stone. “He was YOUR COMPANION. You may not have committed the act, but he was partly your responsibility. Here is your opportunity to atone for that.<br /><br />“I have suspected for several weeks that there is still some evil lurking in the depths of this mine. It has now been confirmed. The evil still inhabits the lower tunnels and there is only one way to rid ourselves of it. A matriarch of our people was entombed long ago with a sacred jewel that has the power to ward off this evil for good. Apparently my forebears were unable to get to the tomb when this evil first appeared. We must go down and recover this jewel. We leave immediately – I would send you alone, but I am the only one who knows the proper words to activate the stone’s power.”<br /><br />As Odo donned his armor, Lotheryn pulled me aside. “We don’t have to answer to this dwarf. What Malak did was unfortunate, but he is asking too much. We should just go; it’s obvious our welcome is worn out, and it’s a welcome I didn’t really desire in the first place.”<br /><br />Iuean nodded in agreement. “I thought maybe these dwarves would be different, but clearly they are not. I’m with Lotheryn. Leave Odo to get his own jewel.”<br /><br />I sighed. “I happen to agree with you, but we can’t leave. If we tried to leave now, we’d have to fight our way out of this place, and I will not kill innocent dwarves because of a questionable decision made by their leader. If we help him do this, we can leave without issue. I don’t like the situation any more than you, but our hands are tied.”<br /><br />Both of the elven women gave me an icy stare and turned away, but they followed when we began to make our way down to the lower mines. We took a long passageway down only to find ourselves at a dead end. Odo touched a place in the stone and a section of the wall rolled back. We walked through the opening to the smell of death and decay. I smelled something else.<br /><br />“Orcs.” I muttered under my breath as I took Narqualme in my hands. There was going to be killing before we got out of this place.<br /><br />As we walked forward, we heard the distinct grunting of orcs to both sides of us. Five shapes materialized out of the darkness.<br /><br />“Let’s buck these fools,” Bolt said as he unsheathed his sword and charged into battle. Not wanting to be outdone, I charged in next to him, swinging my flail at any orc that moved. I felt almost detached from my body as I dropped one foul beast after another. We moved steadily through the mines; more and more orcs came at us. I vaguely recall seeing Amaryllis moving in and out of the shadows while the wizard and the sorcerer lit the cave with their magic missiles. But I was alone in my own personal mission of death. Nothing phased me as I slew orc after orc. My grim determination to eliminate every single one was the only thing that mattered.<br /><br />I have no idea how long this lasted before I was jerked back to reality by Lotheryn’s hand on my shoulder. She looked frightened by what she saw in my face.<br /><br />“You can stop – the orcs are all dead. We found the tomb.”<br /><br />I looked around at the pile of bodies surrounding me. I hadn’t realized I had killed that many. A dead orc is a good orc, I always say, but I did not enjoy being so out of control of my own actions. It frightened me somewhat.<br /><br />The inward contemplation was put aside as Odo removed the lid of the tomb and reached in. He produced a magnificent red pendant that gleamed with its own light in the inky blackness of the mine. He began chanting dwarven verse in a deep, guttural voice, concentrating on the pendant. Before he could finish his cantation, the mine rumbled and out of the gloom shambled the evil being that inhabited the place; a hideous, scaly beast with a snout like a beak and a powerful tail. It pounded the ground with its forelegs and knocked us all to floor, interrupting Odo’s spell.<br /><br />He yelled in frustration, “A bulette! We must kill the beast so I can finish my spell of warding!” He shouted something else in dwarven and charged at the monster.<br /><br />Bolt looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. “This don’t look like any burlesque I’ve ever seen, but whatever. I’ll just add this to my trophy case of butt ugly beasts I’ve bucked.” Bolt sprinted in to join. Amaryllis was already there, as she somersaulted past the beast’s head, brandishing her short sword. I started to follow.<br /><br />Just then we saw several more orcs rush in from our flank, heading straight for Lotheryn. I quickly changed direction to intercept them.<br /><br />“I can handle these guys,” I shouted to the druid. “Go make sure Bolt and Amaryllis are alright!”<br />She nodded and shouted back, “I’ll have Anca give you a hand.” The wolf pounced from behind me, grappling with the orc to my right, his large claws rending the orc's leather armor.<br /><br />It was then I noticed that Ieuan and Moonglum hadn’t joined the fight. <em>We could certainly use some of those handy magic missiles</em>, I thought to myself, as I took a swing with Narqualme. After landing a solid blow that temporarily dazed my opponent, I hazarded a quick glance behind me to see what was going on.<br /><br />Moonglum was yelling at Ieuan and gesturing wildly at the bulette. Ieuan was arguing with the gnome about something, but suddenly stopped and looked at the ground. When she looked up, she had her necklace in her hand and a tear streaming down her cheek. Moonglum had turned toward us and was moving his hands and muttering, preparing to cast a spell. Understanding dawned on me too late.<br /><br />“NOOOOOOOOO!” I yelled, loud enough to make Bolt turn. The bulette saw its opportunity and hit him across the chest at the same time multiple fireballs exploded around us.<br /><br />Having some forewarning of what was coming, I was able to avoid the greater part of the blast, but Bolt was not so lucky. As the smoke cleared, I saw him lying there, unconscious. The orcs had been blown away by the fire, so I rushed in to intercept the bulette before it could stomp on the paladin and crush him. At that moment Amaryllis landed a blow on its flank, distracting the creature enough to allow me time to get in the fight. Lotheryn rushed in and healed Bolt enough to get him on his feet. Bolt stepped back to drink a potion when I heard Moonglum cackle with glee.<br /><br />“THAR SHE BLOWS!!!” he yelled as another fireball exploded around us. The gnome had gone insane. Bolt fell unconscious again, barely breathing. Ieuan had sunk to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she breathed the word “no” over and over again. As Lotheryn tended to Bolt, I turned back to the bulette in time to see it burrow underground, heavily wounded from the beating it had taken. It surfaced in front of Moonglum, who was paying no attention; he was too impressed with his own magical prowess to care. Odo reacted quickly for a man his size, charging over to give it one last blow from his hammer. The beast’s skull crunched as it sunk to the ground, dead before it could take a bite out of the gnome.<br /><br />Ieuan was now sobbing uncontrollably, her head buried in her hands. Lotheryn was shouting Bolt’s name, trying to revive him. Odo had retrieved the jewel and begun chanting again. All I saw or heard was Moonglum - bouncing around like a child and laughing wildly.<br /><br />I ran to him in a blind rage and grabbed the small man to lift him to my eye level, pinning him against the cavern wall. He still had a mirthful gleam in his eye, but the strength of my grip and ferocity of my voice seemed to bring him mostly back to his wits.<br /><br />“I’ve put up with your eccentricities, gnome, but now I am done with you. You nearly killed us! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?” My heart was pounding in my chest. It took all my willpower to keep myself from pummeling this over-sized lawn decoration into oblivion.<br /><br />“Taran.” I heard behind me. I turned around. Bolt was on his feet, but his face was burned so badly I could barely recognize him. “Put him down. The thing is dead. That’s all that matters. Let him go.”<br /><br />I turned back and glared at the gnome one more time before I unceremoniously dumped him on the ground. Lotheryn was doing her best to comfort Ieuan, who had stopped crying but was now staring sullenly at the floor, unable to look anyone in the eye. Odo finally finished his chant and seemed satisfied with the results. He guided our weary group back to the upper levels of the mine.<br /><br />I didn’t say another word to anyone as I left the group to wash the blood off of myself and to get some much needed sleep. I didn’t trust myself to speak, afraid I would unleash my fury on the gnome again. My last thought before sleep took me was that our fellowship was broken.<br /><br />In the morning I woke and gathered my things to leave. I had no desire to remain in Odo’s caverns any longer. The vision of those fireballs exploding was playing continuously through my head. On my way out, I saw Odo, who informed me that all of us were fully pardoned and that I was welcome to a week’s worth of provisions. It was a nice gesture, but I heard no friendship or gratitude in his voice - it was apparent that we had indeed worn out our welcome. After gathering provisions, I made my way to the main gates. Just in front of them I saw Lotheryn and Bolt. Each had their gear packed and appeared ready to leave. Lotheryn had been crying.<br /><br />As I approached she handed me a note. It read:<br /><br /><blockquote>I have decided to leave. I cannot explain why I did what I did. The horror of my actions has not left my mind and I fear it will not for as long as I stay with you. It will haunt me. I am deeply sorry. Please know that you have been great friends. Goodbye.<br /><br />Ieuan</blockquote>“So I guess this is it,” Bolt said after a lengthy silence. It wasn’t a question. “Amaryllis has decided to stay and help teach the dwarven children, which good ol’ Odo said was fine, as his clan could use such people to help them rebuild their kingdom. I have no idea where the gnome is; I haven’t seen him since we got back last night. As for myself, I need to be with my people. There may be other threats out there, and the Kingdom needs me. I am its rightful ruler.”<br /><br />I gave him the half-hug, half-handshake that seemed to be the way his people embraced. “It was a pleasure fighting beside you, my friend. If you ever need a good ranger…”<br /><br />“I won’t be sending for YOU! I’ll send for someone who can actually use a bow.” He said with a grin.<br /><br />“Yeah, well, you’ll need someone to carry you around when you get knocked unconscious,” I threw right back. I didn’t always see eye to eye with the paladin, but he was a great ally and a great man. I would miss his companionship. “Go with Ehlonna.”<br /><br />“Only if She can keep up with me,” he said, as he turned away. His long, quick strides soon took him over a hill and out of sight.<br /><br />I turned back to Lotheryn. “What are your plans?”<br /><br />Lotheryn looked uncomfortable. “I am not sure. I have not unearthed any sign of <em>terellor</em> or the druid who gave us the prophecy. Thus far I have been a failure to my Grove. I cannot go back to them empty-handed. I suppose I must resume my search. I know of a city north of here where there lives a renowned herbalist. That is as good a place to start as any.” She paused and looked at me. I could see the sadness in her eyes. “But it will certainly be different, traveling alone after so long. What about you?”<br /><br />I thought about it for a moment. “I must resume my search as well. There are obviously orcs in this region, as we found out during our lovely spelunking expedition. I will find their clan’s settlement and see if I can find any information about my sister. If not, I will move on to another region. It has been thirty years since Aralee was taken, but I will not give up. Ehlonna will guide me to her. As much as it pains me, I must persist.” The words felt wrong, even as I said them, as if Ehlonna was letting me know that She did not appreciate my putting words in her mouth. I shook off the feeling, annoyed with myself for being reluctant to say goodbye.<br /><br />Lotheryn just nodded slowly. We embraced, said farewell, and left in different directions without saying anything more. Within an hour, I came upon signs of a small orc raiding party climbing into the foothills. My instincts as a ranger kicked in without hesitation: I determined that four orcs had passed through roughly 3 days earlier, going southeast at a leisurely clip. One orc was injured and another looked to be larger than the others, possibly as a result of having some troll blood in his lineage. They were most likely armed to the teeth and undoubtedly knew the area much better than I. I grew uneasy looking at those tracks as I realized what I had to do.<br /><br />I turned around and headed straight north, hoping I would be able to catch up with Lotheryn by nightfall. Ehlonna had made my path clear.<br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-48551495476015308982008-12-02T23:36:00.001-08:002008-12-02T23:36:59.051-08:00Thursday wish listWhat do you most want to see happen this Thursday for the final D&D game of 2008? Honestly, I wouldn't mind if TC killed all of us; or at least intentionally tried to kill us. That would sure be a final fight to remember. I would also like to see use of the forgery skill, an enemy spell caster counterspell either me or Bethany, an enemy spell caster turn John's skin white and/or tons of really sweet, high level rewards that cannot be used in combat. Like a magic carpet or something. What about everyone else? What would make a memorable final night?Brian Zunigahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00921685129806166906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-41376972980715575362008-12-02T17:35:00.000-08:002008-12-02T17:42:30.207-08:00The Future of D&DHere are some ideas/suggestions/options for us to think about as we move into Phase II of the Ultimate D&D Experience. We've mentioned a lot of these before, but never really come to a consensus as to what everyone wants.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />We can keep playing 3.5 or we can move on to play version 4.0, which, according to Brian, is much easier to understand and seems like it would be more fun. The problem with that is that there are a couple of classes (druids, barbarians, and sorcerers) that don’t exist in 4.0 yet, so we would have to wait until March before we know how those classes work. <br /><br />If we move on to 4.0, we can keep our current characters and just try to adapt them to the new rules or we can create entirely new ones. If we start before March, obviously we have to create new ones because OJ, Julia, and Bethany will all be without a 4.0 version of their character.<br /><br />We need to decide what we want to do about our DM. It seems like it’s not going to work for TC to come out all the time because of the driving situation. However, I do not have softball again until the end of January and even then we’re looking to move it to Thursday nights instead of Friday, which would allow us to play D&D on Friday. That seems like it would make it easier on TC (provided he doesn't work or have class on Fridays) and whoever drives him home afterward. It would also make it easier on the few of us that have real jobs. <br /><br />But I also know that Brian is interested in being a DM and some of us have expressed interest in playing a different style than TC may be comfortable with. What I would suggest is that whether or not we start playing 4.0, we can move on with Brian as our DM and ask TC if he would like to join our party as a player. <br /><br />My personal preference would be to move our game to Friday nights and start playing version 4.0 when a couple more characters become available. I think we can experiment with some fun things like the skill challenge in version 3.5 until that happens.<br /><br />What do you all think?<br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-56113651045204350742008-12-02T17:02:00.001-08:002008-12-02T17:03:47.078-08:00Thursday Thursday Thursday!!!!Be there for our last D&D episode before the holidays and weddings take over our lives. <br /><br />8:30.<br /><br />Our place.<span class="fullpost"></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-33628960321968187592008-11-17T16:07:00.000-08:002008-11-17T19:50:30.202-08:00Adventure 6: This is no mine...There’s a joke that starts, “This dwarf walks into a bar full of black guys…” I’m not sure how it progresses from there, but the punch line involves me standing in a dank cave (excuse me… “mine”) filled with dead short people. If this joke is a favorite of yours, I would find some new material. It’s not funny.<br /><br />So there we were, enjoying some of D’Brickashaw’s finest ale (they always break out the good stuff for the triumphant adventurers – it’s a hard life, but it has its rewards), when a weathered dwarf stumbled in, looking half-crazed and wholly disheveled. The entire place went silent as we all turned to look at the stranger. Dwarves are not common in any but the biggest cities (dwarves generally prefer the solitude offered by their clan-based mining lifestyles), so it was either a wrong turn at Albuquerque or a specific quest that brought the stout fellow to this particular establishment.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />“Bring me ale!” He shouted loudly. “And someone point me to the adventurers who slayed the dragon of Dantalleen!”<br /><br />The barkeep had a furious look in his eye as he got ready to toss the dwarf out onto his well-armored behind, but Bolt, never afraid to take credit for his accomplishments, spoke up first. “We slayed the dragon, dwarf. And we’ve slayed a lot of other stuff too. Quit your braying and tell us what you want.” Usain gave the barkeep a look that said, “I’ll handle this” as the dwarf stomped over to our table.<br /><br />None of us were all too happy to be roused from our relaxation, especially by a dwarf. Malak, Moonglum, and Amaryllis had experienced little of dwarves in their previous lives, but Lotheryn and Ieuan, two of the kindest, gentlest souls in the seven kingdoms, had suddenly become tense as a couple of tigers waiting to pounce. Each had a look on her face that could have melted stone. Elves are not fond of dwarves as a rule, mostly stemming from inter-racial wars that took place many, many ages ago. Suffice to say, people who live as long as they do have trouble letting bygones be bygones. Lotheryn had a special distaste for dwarves, seeing as how they had little regard for the natural environment to which she had devoted her life. I had a number of dealings with the people, finding them to be rather hard to know. They shared with me a hatred of orcs, so I had joined them in raiding orc strongholds from time to time. But from my experience, the cliché is true: the only friendly dwarf is one beer away from passing out. (Boy do they brew some good beer, though.)<br /><br />Bolt, however, had some experience in diplomacy with dwarven clans that had taken up mining just outside his kingdom’s borders. We let him do most of the talking.<br /><br />“Well?” he started after the ale had been served and the dwarf had taken a long draught, “What brings you to us? What is your name and your business? I put my reputation on the line to keep you from getting shown the hard way out of this town. Now I want some answers.”<br /><br />The dwarf drained the remainder of his ale – Malak and I exchanged a glance, impressed by his feats of alcoholic consumption – and seemed to take on a different demeanor as he began his tale. His name was Odo, and he came from an accomplished clan that had long been residents of the Trindane Mountains, living a prosperous life within a large mining community. His mood turned from gruff to enraged to despondent as he relayed the story of how an evil presence had awoken from the mines and destroyed most of his clan. His father, who had been away with a small group of his best warriors on a diplomatic mission, came back to find everyone slain. He went mad with grief and charged in recklessly with his warriors, only to be killed along with the rest of his kinsmen. Only two dwarves escaped, Odo, then an infant, and his nursemaid, who was able to sneak out before she was discovered. She told Odo the tale when he was old enough to hear it, and he’d been planning his revenge ever since. It had been 97 years from that fateful day, and Odo was ready to reclaim his birthright.<br /><br />“We must venture there and find my father’s warhammer, Grond, which I can wield against my enemies. I will establish a new clan and we will build upon my father’s great works. But I need warriors to help me. Even having lost much, I am proud. I do not ask this lightly. If you help me, you will be rewarded with some of the finest weapons, jewels and armor you could imagine. You will also forever be a friend to my clan, even these elves. What say you?”<br /><br />None of us knew what to say. I wanted to help this dwarf, but what chance did we stand against an evil that had been able to defeat a clan of dwarves? Amaryllis, however, seemed excited.<br /><br />“Yes! Of course we’ll help you! My people have a long history of helping the dwarves reclaim their former greatness! My great great great great grandfather Bulbo helped some dwarves kill a dragon who had taken over their mountain. And then, his nephew, Fromo, helped another dwarf defeat an evil Bullfrog that had killed the dwarf community who lived in some mines. At least, I think that’s how the story went. It was made into a book, ummm, <em>The Ruler of the Finger Adornments</em>, I think it was called. Anyway, I could go down in hobbit…er, I mean, halfling history!”<br /><br />(Two men in dark clothing immediately entered the bar and handed Amaryllis a piece of parchment with the title “LAWSUIT” and a lot of small words underneath. They left without a word. Amaryllis was confused, but quickly put the paper aside and continued to implore us to undertake the quest.)<br /><br />The halfling was so excited that we could not deny her. We decided to help the dwarf.<br /><br />So that’s how we found ourselves entering a dark mineshaft into the old home of Odo’s clan. The place was dimly lit and everything further than 20 feet away was obscured by a dense fog. The place also smelled worse than Malak’s undershirt.<br /><br />Odo somehow looked happy to be there. "Welcome to my family's mine," he said. Lotheryn and Ieuan both ignored the dwarf's welcome, glaring at him openly.<br /><br />Bolt used his sword to poke at the skeletons of dwarves lying about. "This is no mine..."<br /><br />"It's a space station!" declared Moonglum. Everyone looked at him quizzically. "Never mind," the gnome said, mumbling something about no one understanding his jokes. Gnomes. <br /><br />The dwarf spoke up, “First we have to find the warhammer. Once that is in my grasp, we can make sure that all of the evil has left this place. The warhammer has power in it that only a descendant of my father can wield. It should not be difficult to find…”<br /><br />Moonglum interrupted, “Uhh, hey Odo, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the entire place is completely filled with piles of junk and old weaponry. Are you telling me we have to look through each one to find this hammer?”<br /><br />Odo glared at the gnome, “This is for my family’s honor! We will find the hammer!”<br /><br />Moonglum rolled his eyes. “I’ll show you where you can stick your hammer…” I heard the wizard mutter, still obviously upset that no one could comprehend gnome humor.<br /><br />We worked our way in, searching as we went. I saw Malak looking at something closely.<br /><br />“What is it you got there, Malak?” I asked him. He was staring intently at a silver necklace inlaid with several rubies. “Ooooh, that would bring out the color of your eyes quite nicely.”<br /><br />Malak looked at me joyfully. “Really? You think…” Just that moment we heard a giant thud as a passageway collapsed in front of us to reveal a gigantic tentacled monster. Malak threw down the necklace as we charged in, hacking away at its limbs. One of them struck Anca and knocked the wolf aside as the thing lashed out in rage. After several minutes of bobbing and weaving, we sawed off enough limbs to get a shot at its head. I looked at Odo as the thing lay shuddering on the ground.<br /><br />“I hope there aren’t many more of THOSE lurking about, dwarf. Or this is going to be an awfully short search.”<br /><br />Odo just glanced at me darkly and looked even more determined as he continued to search through the piles of junk.<br /><br />After several hours of this, and having dispatched several more enemies (most of them groups of undead dwarves), we came upon what looked like a throne room. Apparently this is where the head of the dwarven clan had sat before his people. Unfortunately, the only thing there now were several gobs of slime. To make matters worse, the gobs of slime tried to kill us.<br /><br />Luckily, gobs of slime aren’t really that adept at killing people, so we took care of them without much trouble. Bolt looked disgusted as he wiped the goo from his sword. I was about to make a comment about oversized boogers, when Lotheryn held something up in the light.<br /><br />“Is this what we’re looking for?” she asked. It was the most magnificently crafted weapon I’d ever seen. Perfectly balanced, wrought with gleaming sapphires and emeralds, dwarven runes running down the haft – I couldn’t help but catch my breath.<br /><br />Odo’s eyes lit up like fireworks as he rushed over and took the warhammer from her. “Grond,” he breathed softly. “Finally, I can take the seat of my forefathers…”<br /><br />“Not so fast, dwarf.” We heard a hissing voice say behind us. We turned around to see ourselves faced with a necromancer, his boneguard, and five other undead minions. “I will take that from you, just as I took it from your father years ago. And you will go to join him…”<br /><br />The necromancer had barely finished his sentence when Ieuan decided she’d had enough small talk. A large ball of fire launched from her hand over the heads of the necromancer and his cronies, landing behind them and bursting outward. It immediately charred the lot of them, leaving the necromancer severely weakened, and the boneguard looking rather unsure of himself (or as unsure of itself as it’s possible for a skull to look).<br /><br />It was a quick matter to dispatch of the necromancer and his guard. We all looked appreciatively at Ieuan, who just shrugged. “Well, I guess that necklace I bought back in town came in handy after all. I still don’t trust this dwarf.” She looked suspiciously at Odo, who was trying to make himself comfortable in his father’s throne.<br /><br />“We’re done now,” I told her. “Odo has his hammer, his throne and his cave. We’ve finished what we came here to do, so you don’t have to put up with the dwarf any longer. In fact, if we leave now, we might be able to catch happy hour back at the bar. Who’s with me?”<br /><br />To be continued…<br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677554266716906155.post-35566247045403331942008-11-12T11:42:00.000-08:002008-11-12T14:39:31.792-08:00Adventure 5: Defending D'BrickashawWe needed a break. After that fight with the evil paladin, we were spent. I think I slept 19 straight hours once we got back to the town’s inn. And I was better off than most. Bolt had once again taken the brunt of the damage (enemies just seem to be drawn to him for some reason – maybe it’s the ceaseless insults he hurls at them, but there's a good chance it's the Axe Body Spray) and needed a week of recovery. The rest of us recuperated in our own way while Lotheryn tended to his wounds (lucky bastard – I wish MY wounds needed tending). I got a chance to break in the new bow I hadn’t been able to use yet. Moonglum spent most of his time in Ye Olde Arcana Shoppe, browsing the merchandise. Ieuan and Lotheryn, when she wasn’t tending Bolt, spent a lot of time in deep elvish meditation. Amaryllis volunteered her time down at the local orphanage. Malak did…well, I didn’t ask and he didn’t tell, but I’m sure it was whatever barbarians do when they’re not killing stuff.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />The only one who didn’t enjoy the break was Bolt, and not just because he had stitches covering most of his body. He seemed restless, anxious to be moving on. When asked about it, he was evasive, saying he just wanted to get back on his feet. Finally Bolt seemed well enough to resume our travelling. We decided to take one more day in town to re-supply ourselves and we’d depart the following day. That night I awoke late to the sound of someone moving down the hallway. I decided to follow.<br /><br />When I got outside the inn, I made myself known.<br /><br />“Bolt. Where do you think you’re off to?”<br /><br />The paladin turned around, surprised. “How’d you hear me?”<br /><br />“You’re wearing banded mail. A china shop doing a cartwheel would make less noise than you. Now what’s going on?”<br /><br />At that moment, Lotheryn, Amaryllis, and Ieuan all emerged from the shadows. Bolt was even more incredulous. “Wha…?”<br /><br />“See? THAT’S how you move silently. Now let’s have it. What’s the deal with the late night escape?”<br /><br />Bolt sighed. “Look, it’s nothing against you guys, I just have this weird sense that something’s wrong back home. I can’t shake it. It’s been bothering me since we got back here. This isn’t your problem, so I’m going alone to find out what the deal is. It’s been interesting hanging around with the lot of you, but I gotta go take care of this.”<br /><br />The rest of us looked at each other in unspoken agreement. Ieuan went over to Bolt and put her hand on his arm. “We’re coming with you. Whatever trouble there is, you’ll be better off with friends around. We know you think you can handle this on your own, but let us help you. You’ve saved our lives countless times – give us a chance to do the same for you.”<br /><br />“Besides, Bolt,” I added with a wry grin, “Who’s going to shove a health potion down your throat when you get knocked unconscious? “<br /><br />The tall paladin looked as uncomfortable as I’ve ever seen him (and I’ve seen him face to face with a giant red dragon breathing flame down his armor). He glanced at each of us and finally resigned himself to the situation. “You guys aren’t going away, are you?” We shook our heads. “Fine. Come with me then. But just know that I didn’t ask you to do this!” He tried to sound as annoyed as possible, but I caught a hint of relief in there as well.<br /><br />We re-supplied the next morning and left as soon as we could. We traveled for several days before we finally came to the outskirts of Bolt’s ancestral lands. I could sense his growing excitement as he quickened the pace of his walk. We were headed for a village called D’Brickashaw, but Bolt wanted to make a stop first. He told us about a small outpost on the edge of the kingdom where he’d spent a lot of his time training for the Holy Knighthood. Bolt was hoping to reunite with the grizzled veteran, Pedidimus, who had commanded the outpost when he trained there. But as we crested a small rise, I saw Bolt’s face harden. I looked down into the vale and saw nothing but smoldering shells of buildings. Bolt took off faster than I’d ever seen him, running breakneck down the hill. We hurried after him.<br /><br />The young lord was seething as he looked around at the razed outpost. “Who could have done this?!? What happened here? I swear vengeance on whoever perpetrated this crime!”<br /><br />The rest of us began looking for clues as to what might have happened. The wreckage didn’t appear to be more than a day old. I smelled the stench of orcs as soon as I got close, but there was obviously another group involved. As I was examining an embedded arrow with some strange, uncouth runes, I heard Moonglum muttering to himself, “Sand people! But these arrow volleys, too accurate for sand people. Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise…”<br /><br />I was confused. “What was that, gnome?”<br /><br />Moonglum looked up suddenly, unaware that I had been standing there. “What? Oh, nothing…just, uhh, mumbling to myself.”<br /><br />What a strange race, those gnomes. Through a quick search we determined that it wasn’t Imperial Stormtroopers, whatever the heck those are, but actually a large group of gnolls that had apparently allied themselves with the orcs to raid the outpost. Judging by the tracks they left as they marched out, they were headed straight for D’Brickashaw. But I was able to give Bolt some good news.<br /><br />“Lord Bolt! Do not despair yet – there are other tracks here among the orcs and gnolls, made several hours before the raid. I do not believe your people were taken at unawares. It appears they retreated before the enemy, possibly to take up defenses at a better location.”<br /><br />Bolt looked grim as he glanced at the setting sun, “Well, let’s get going and catch up to these fools before they do any more damage.”<br /><br />We jogged at a brisk pace all evening and night. It took us 5 solid hours, but we made it. I carried Amaryllis and Malak carried Moonglum most of the way. What is it they say about short people? I don't remember, but I do know I've never felt more like I needed a horse. We were sucking wind by the time we got to town. Bolt shouted the greeting of the Knighthood to the stationed guard, and we were let in through the gates. It didn’t take us long to find out what had happened. Most of the men stationed at the outpost had retreated to D’Brickashaw and taken up defenses there. The orcs and gnolls had issued a challenge, but had not yet attacked. Some men had gone to warn other towns further into the kingdom and to find a garrison of men to provide reinforcements. Bolt found his old friend, Pedidimus, and set about planning the defense of the village. The rest of us swore our weapons and abilities to the cause. We went about the next day fortifying the town.<br /><br />At nightfall, the attack came. The orcs came from the east, the gnolls from the west. I quickly saw what it was that had left the strange arrows – gnoll demonic archers, deadly in their accuracy and ruthlessness. Everyone fought valiantly, but there were tremendous losses on both sides. The next night brought much of the same. When we gathered at the dawn of the third morning, the sound of clanging weapons only minutes subsided, the only ones left hale were six of us adventurers (Amaryllis had been struck by a poisoned arrow from one of the demonic archers and was stable, but not in any condition to fight), and two men of the Knighthood. Pedidimus was at a loss. “We can’t hold them off and I have no idea where our reinforcements are at! The defenses of the town are destroyed! This is a dark day for the Knighthood indeed…”<br /><br />I interjected. “Look, I know you all have your pride; I have mine as well. But I think it’s time to get the civilians out of here. Bolt and Malak – take Amaryllis and the healthy Knights and get your people out to safety. Gnolls and Orcs both hate the light. If you leave by early afternoon and stick to the open hills, you should be far enough away by nightfall that you’ll be out of danger. Ieuan, Lotheryn, Moonglum, and I will do what we can to delay these guys until you can get back, hopefully with reinforcements. I don’t think we’ll be able to save the entire town, but hopefully we can harry them enough to save most of it. It’s not the ideal plan, but it’s the one that stands the best chance of saving the most lives.”<br /><br />Bolt looked furious. “Why should I go? I should stay and fight!”<br /><br />“You and Malak are the strongest ones here!” I countered. “There are sick people that need to be carried on litters. Your strength and leadership are needed to keep people from panicking. As soon as you get the villagers to a safe place, get back here. I’m sure there will be fighting enough left for you. I promise I’ll save you a gnoll or two.”<br /><br />We set the plan into action and got everyone out as planned. I clasped hands with Bolt as he left, hoping I would still be able to do so when he returned. It was like a ghost town as the four of us waited for nightfall. As the sun set, we heard snarling coming from both sides of town. I climbed up on a nearby roof and fired an arrow at the nearest orc. “That was a warning shot!” (Actually it was meant for the orc's head, but the orc didn’t need to know that.) “Come any closer and you’ll get another one of those in your eye. You are not wanted here. But if it is death you desire, I am open for business, as are my friends.” Well, it wasn’t the best battle speech, but I thought it sounded decent. I’d worked on it most of the day.<br /><br />The orcs weren’t all that impressed. I heard their guttural laughter as they tossed torches onto the outbuildings. The fight was on. Ieuan and I ran up to the rooftops and hurried our way over to the burning buildings via wooden planks we had set up in preparation. We had also set buckets of water on each of the roofs for this very purpose. Moonglum summoned a centipede to help fight off the gnolls on the west side of town. Lotheryn did some strange druid-y spell to allow her and Anca to run up the walls, evading the gnolls and doing some damage of their own. I made a mental note to ask how she did that when this was over.<br /><br />I, meanwhile, ran as fast as I could to get to the first fire. At this point, the fire had spread, and I had to jump in the midst of the flames to grab the bucket of water. Not thinking clearly, I grabbed the metal handle of the bucket, which by now was scalding. I managed to put out the flames, but my hands were wracked with searing pain from the white hot metal. I picked up my bow again and began firing arrows at the orcs, who were well lit by the firelight. It didn’t matter – the pain in my hands was excruciating and I couldn’t have hit an orc if my life depended on it (and it was looking more and more likely that it would). Thankfully, Ieuan was able to keep the orcs at bay with her magic missiles and various rays. <br /><br />The orcs were now amongst the buildings and had found the ladder we used to climb up the building. I was too far away to save one of the buildings, so I kicked out the plank to keep the fire from spreading and ran to help Ieuan. We hadn’t downed any of the orcs, and only one of the gnolls was even bleeding. It didn’t look good.<br /><br />At that moment I saw a large shape sprint out of the shadows and slam into an orc about to throw another torch. <br /><br />“Malak!” I shouted. “Bout time you showed up! There’s killing to do!” Malak grunted in response as he hacked away at a couple of orcs.<br /><br />I heard a shout of encouragement on the other end of town, as Bolt ran in to help Lotheryn and Moonglum with the gnolls. As I watched Malak do his business, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Ieuan, looking rather nervous. “I hate to interrupt your gruntfest over here, but there are several orcs and a gnoll looking at me rather inappropriately. And I don’t mean from a distance. They’re right there. Seeing as how you’re the one with the armor and the flail and whatnot, I just thought I’d let you know. I’m going to stand over here.” <br /><br />Well, I couldn’t hit the broadside of a dragon with my bow anyway, so I pulled out Narqualme and charged in to do some real damage. I managed to hem the demon archer in the fire, but he just cackled with glee and tried to get himself into position for another shot. Ieuan nailed him with a magic missile and knocked him off the roof. We also managed to take down some of the orcs, and I put out the fire before it spread too much. Moonglum, Bolt and Lotheryn had almost finished off the gnolls. Malak, while looking somewhat worse for wear, was a sword stroke away from killing the orcs he was fighting. Not only had we managed to minimize damage to the town, but we were actually going to fight these guys off!<br /><br />And then we saw the ettin. This thing was the ugliest beast I’d ever seen, made all the uglier since it had two hideous heads, instead of just one. He shambled into the torch light, gave a loud yell, and looked straight at Malak with rage in his eye.<br /><br />“Oh shit,” was all the barbarian could muster as the ettin charged in and took a swing at him with his massive club. The sound was like the crunch of dry leaves as the club hit Malak squarely on the shoulder.<br /><br />We managed to dispatch the remaining orcs and gnolls and raced toward Malak to help. As we ran, I shouted to Bolt, "Where are the reinforcements? They'll be here any minute, right?"<br /><br />Bolt shook his head, "The messengers were waylaid by the gnolls just outside of town. It's all on us. Don't worry. We got this." I wish I shared his optimism.<br /><br />Lotheryn used her crazy spider-climbing to get to Malak first. She was able to heal his shoulder without drawing attention from the ettin. Bolt ran in headlong and opened up a couple of wounds on the ettin, only to get knocked unconscious by the giant. I kept firing arrow after arrow at its tough hide as Moonglum and Ieuan launched their magic missiles. Anca bit its leg and Malak hacked at its torso. Finally it staggered when I hit it in the throat with a shot and Ieuan’s missile brought it down. Right then the first rays of sunlight crept over the eastern horizon. We had won. The town was safe, if a little singed.<br /><br />As we nursed our wounds that day, the townspeople came in and thanked us for our help. Bolt was lauded as the finest Knight they’d seen, a title which seemed to suit him just fine. When we finally got a moment’s peace, I walked over to the paladin.<br /><br />“Next time you invite us to your kingdom, show us a little hospitality, huh? Can’t you just bake some cookies or something?” <br /><br />He grinned and shot right back, “Hey, this is how we do it here. Why do you think I’m such a pimp? Get your cookies somewhere else, we only serve justice in my country.”<br /></span>Taranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10621378833811799287noreply@blogger.com3